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Onwards and Sideways

Play trailer Onwards and Sideways 2026 1h 54m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 11 Reviews Popcornmeter 0 Ratings
From Academy Award-nominated Director John Madden and starring BAFTA Award-winner Rhys Ifans and Academy Award-nominee Laura Linney. Tony Evans is deputy head of a primary school. Emma Dretzin is a musician and composer, and single mother of two daughters. Neither knows the other. Until a startling encounter changes the course of their lives. On the same morning, these two are simultaneously confronted with a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. This film is the story of Tony and Emma -- a friendship which unfolds unexpectedly. A story of humor and emotion, of challenge and bravado, of music and dance -- transcending the assumptions of a little understood condition, and triumphing over the odds to find joy, release and love.

Critics Reviews

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Guy Lodge Variety 17 hrs ago
Even when the film strays into anodyne territory, it’s given genuine feeling and integrity by stars Laura Linney and Rhys Ifans, both superb. Go to Full Review Robert Daniels Screen International 3 days ago
A devastatingly bittersweet tale about two people finding strength in one another to face an uncertain future. Go to Full Review Michael Rechtshaffen The Hollywood Reporter 5 days ago
Defying the odds, Onwards and Sideways emerges as a stirring lesson on learning to address the inevitable with grace and acceptance. Go to Full Review Abe Friedtanzer Awards Buzz 1 day ago
6/10
While this is hardly the most dramatic portrayal of people living with life-altering conditions, it’s still emotional and resonant when it needs to be and overall perfectly pleasant and heartwarming. Go to Full Review Peter Gray The AU Review 4 days ago
3.5/5
Warm, funny and deeply compassionate. Go to Full Review Stephen Saito Moveable Fest 4 days ago
Between the reliably lived-in performances from Linney and Ifans and the places where Mayhew-Archer and Madden can find empathy and humor in dealing with a merciless prognosis, it tends to feel true when it counts. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Cast & Crew

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John Madden

Director

Rhys Ifans

Actor

Laura Linney

Actor

Monica Dolan

Actor

Rory Kinnear

Actor

Paul Mayhew-Archer

Screenwriter
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Onwards and Sideways

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Movie Info

Synopsis From Academy Award-nominated Director John Madden and starring BAFTA Award-winner Rhys Ifans and Academy Award-nominee Laura Linney. Tony Evans is deputy head of a primary school. Emma Dretzin is a musician and composer, and single mother of two daughters. Neither knows the other. Until a startling encounter changes the course of their lives. On the same morning, these two are simultaneously confronted with a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease. This film is the story of Tony and Emma -- a friendship which unfolds unexpectedly. A story of humor and emotion, of challenge and bravado, of music and dance -- transcending the assumptions of a little understood condition, and triumphing over the odds to find joy, release and love.
Director
John Madden
Producer
Hilary Bevan Jones, John Gore
Screenwriter
Paul Mayhew-Archer
Production Co
Hilltop Screen , John Gore Studios, British Broadcasting Corporation
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 54m
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