Rhys Ifans and Laura Linney Star in Parkinson's Drama Opening in UK Cinemas

A British drama about Parkinson's disease opens in UK cinemas on Friday 6 November. The film, Onwards and Sideways, is distributed by Icon Film Distribution, which says it will also be shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

The story follows two strangers who are diagnosed with Parkinson's at the same time. Rhys Ifans plays Tony, a primary school teacher who is told he has "five good years" before the condition takes over his life. Laura Linney plays Emma, a musician who has also been diagnosed. The two form a bond over their shared diagnoses, according to The Guardian, which interviewed the actors about the film this week.

The film is directed by John Madden, who made Shakespeare in Love. It is written by Paul Mayhew-Archer, who was himself diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2011, according to Variety. That personal link is part of why the project has drawn attention, and the film's makers have spoken about it openly in press interviews.

Parkinson's is a condition of the nervous system. It affects movement and can slow the body down over time, and there is no cure. Many people with the condition live for years with symptoms that they manage through treatment, and the film is set in that long stretch rather than in a hospital ward. Tony's "five good years" line captures the uncertainty that people with a new diagnosis often describe.

For a general audience, the film's release is a reminder of how stories about illness reach people. Cinema is one route. Free-to-air television is another, and the BBC showing gives the film a second life beyond the big screen. Viewers who prefer to wait can see it at home without buying a ticket.

Linney is an Oscar nominee, and her earlier work includes The Savages, which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2008. Ifans is a BAFTA winner. Their names are a large part of how the film is being sold to UK audiences, and Icon's promotion has leaned on the cast and the director's record.

The film has already been seen by critics. The Guardian published a review in September, and Variety has covered the film since its festival run. The UK release is the next step for a story that began as a script and has now reached the public through cinemas and broadcast.