Onwards And Sideways is one of those films, where I went into it completely blind. Hadn’t read a single thing about it, but it’s also a film that’s had zero promotion anywhere, and I only heard about it when it came up in the cinema listings.
The same was the case for the similarly-spellbinding One Last Deal, earlier this year. Coincidentally, I saw it in the same screen, and while there was zero audience for that film, this one had just 3 others on a Monday afternoon.
Tony Evans (Rhys Ifans – Star City) is a primary school teacher, who’s a few years away from retirement, but eventually realises that his right hand is ‘tired’, his arm just drooping by his side, rather than swinging as normal. When he goes to get it analysed by neurologist Professor Ridge (Rory Kinnear – No Time To Die), the diagnosis is easily spotted by him: Tony’s suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, and has “five good years left“.
By chance, on exiting the room where he’s just been told the devastating news, he meets Emma Dretzin (Laura Linney – Ozark) in the waiting room. She’s also just seen the same man, and has received the exact same diagnosis. Their conditions differ to a degree, such that she gets ‘the shakes’, while he does not.
Somehow, this film manages to fit in a great deal of humour, albeit quite dark at times, such as when Tony learns from Emma about a ballet class for those suffering the condition, he arrives to take part and asks for her, but is told bluntly by the lady selling tickets, “Oh, she’s dead”… only to have mistaken ‘Emma’ for ‘Anna’, another patron.
Even once that’s resolved, it’s a scary scenario as Tony looks around, because “All my worst futures are in one room”.
The film also takes in various effects Parkinson’s can have on someone, including struggling to walk due to stiffness in the legs, losing one’s sense of smell, and the process of Deep Brain Stimulation, involving putting wires into your head!
However, on the plus side – while Tony moans that he gets stiff legs and hands, but CAN’T get stiff in the one place he needs it…. viagra is free on the NHS!
And one moment that was a nice touch, but comes late in the film, so is a potential spoiler…
Onwards And Sideways is an incredible film, brilliantly and beautifully portrayed by both Ifans and Linney, and I’d love to at least think BAFTA nods are in order. It’s just a shame it’s had ZERO publicity by the studio, Icon Film Distribution.
NOTE: There are both mid- and post-credit scenes, as per my video below.
Onwards And Sideways is in cinemas now, but isn’t yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD. However, once announced, it will appear on the New DVD Blu-ray 3D and 4K releases UK list.
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 110 minutes
Release date: November 6th 2026
Studio: Icon Film Distribution
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Rating: 9/10
Director: John Madden
Producers: Hilary Bevan Jones, John Gore
Writer: Paul Mayhew-Archer
Music: Thomas Newman
Cast:
Tony Evans: Rhys Ifans
Emma Dretzin: Laura Linney
Liz Evans: Monica Dolan
Professor Ridge: Rory Kinnear
Julie: Leah Byrne
Barry: Nicholas Asbury
Mary: Sorcha Cusack
Helen Andrews: Sara Powell
Emma’s Nurse: Emma Louise Webb
Mrs. Wozniak: Natalia Kostrzewa
Bahar: Isabella Nefar
Tia: Meg Artherton
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.