When director John Madden first read Paul Mayhew-Archer’s script that was based on his experience living with Parkinson’s disease, he knew it had a ways to go. But he recognized its potential.
Now nearly a decade later, Madden is ready to show “Onwards and Sideways” to buyers at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival. What initially started as a “boy meets girl” script evolved into something much more complicated, Madden says, now beginning with a chance encounter as two strangers are diagnosed with Parkinson’s on the same morning at the same hospital.
“That opened up a different kettle of fish,” Madden tells Variety. “It ended up being much more involving than one had anticipated.”
The story follows the ripple effects of that chance encounter between Tony (Rhys Ifans) and Emma (Laura Linney), a teacher and composer who find their lives forever intertwined as they take in the news that they only have “five good years” left to live, per their blunt neurologist. “Onwards and Sideways” follows the pair over the course of five chapters as they fall in love and change each other’s lives after Tony reluctantly takes up Emma’s suggestion on joining a Parkinson’s ballet class.
While much remains unknown about the disease, including the cause, over 10 million people are estimated to be living with Parkinson’s around the world, according to the Parkinson’s Foundation. It’s a disorder of the nervous system that restricts movement across the body, and the effects are felt more over time.
