From the writer of The Vicar of Dibley and the director of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, comes a warm, funny and deeply human story about friendship, love and finding joy when life takes a completely unexpected turn.
Rhys Ifans stars as Tony, a widowed primary school deputy head, while Laura Linney plays Emma, an American composer and single mother. They are complete strangers until the same morning brings them both life-changing news: they have Parkinson’s disease.
What begins with a diagnosis develops into an unexpected friendship, as Tony and Emma discover that life isn’t simply about what happens to you, but what you choose to do next. With humour, music, dancing, courage and romance, Onwards and Sideways finds warmth and laughter in the most unlikely of circumstances without shying away from the realities of living with Parkinson’s.
The film has a particularly personal authenticity. Writer Paul Mayhew-Archer, best known for The Vicar of Dibley, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s himself in 2011 and has since become an advocate for Parkinson’s research and awareness. The film is directed by John Madden, the acclaimed director of Shakespeare in Love and both Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films, with Monica Dolan and Rory Kinnear joining Linney and Ifans in the cast.
Critical Response
Following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film has been warmly received...
Variety praised Laura Linney and Rhys Ifans, calling them “both superb” and predicting that the film is likely to be a crowd-pleaser particularly in the UK.
The Guardian similarly singled out the performances and authenticity, describing Rhys Ifans as “never-better” and praising the film’s ability to acknowledge the difficulties of Parkinson’s without becoming lost in the darkness.
Early reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes describe the film as“warm, funny and deeply compassionate” and a “devastatingly bittersweet tale about two people finding strength in one another.”
Warm-hearted, bittersweet and very British in spirit, Onwards and Sideways is ultimately not a film about illness, but about refusing to let an illness become the whole story.
Director: John Madden
Cast: Rhys Ifans, Laura Linney, Rory Kinnear, Monica Dolan, Danielle Galligan
Film Length: 115mins
Format: 2D
Cert: 15
Screenings
| Film/Event | Date | Time | |
| Onwards and Sideways | Friday Nov 06 | 2:30PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Friday Nov 06 | 7:45PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Saturday Nov 07 | 2:15PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Saturday Nov 07 | 5:35PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Sunday Nov 08 | 10:30AM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Sunday Nov 08 | 1:15PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Monday Nov 09 | 2:25PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Monday Nov 09 | 7:45PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Tuesday Nov 10 | 1:55PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Wednesday Nov 11 | 2:25PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Wednesday Nov 11 | 7:45PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Thursday Nov 12 | 2:25PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Thursday Nov 12 | 7:45PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Friday Nov 13 | 12:05PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Friday Nov 13 | 4:50PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Saturday Nov 14 | 4:35PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Sunday Nov 15 | 10:15AM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Sunday Nov 15 | 7:45PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Monday Nov 16 | 12:25PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Monday Nov 16 | 4:55PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Tuesday Nov 17 | 4:50PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Wednesday Nov 18 | 5:20PM |
BOOK
|
| Onwards and Sideways | Thursday Nov 19 | 2:25PM |
BOOK
|