Image Credit: John Gore Studios / Icon Film Distribution — Official Trailer/Poster via YouTube
Some films begin with a meeting. The Onwards and Sideways movie begins with two strangers receiving the same life-changing news on the same morning, in the same clinic, and then deciding — slowly, stubbornly and often very funnily — what to do with the years that follow. It is a British romantic drama that treats Parkinson’s disease not as a plot twist but as the ground on which a friendship, and possibly something more, is built.
The Onwards and Sideways movie arrives in UK cinemas on 6 November 2026, distributed by Icon Film Distribution. It will come to BBC One and BBC iPlayer later in the year, after its cinema run. No United States release date has been announced yet, and no streaming date beyond the BBC window has been confirmed, so audiences outside the UK will have to wait for a distributor announcement.
A diagnosis shared on the same morning
Tony Evans, played by Rhys Ifans, is the deputy headteacher of a primary school. Emma Dretzin, played by Laura Linney, is a pianist, a composer and a single mother of two daughters. They do not know each other. Then, on one ordinary morning, both are told they have Parkinson’s disease.
That shared starting point is what makes the Onwards and Sideways movie so unusual. Tony and Emma are not connected by family, work or romance at first. They are connected by a diagnosis, and by the practical, emotional questions that follow it: who do you tell, how much do you change your life, and how do you keep hold of humour when the ground shifts beneath you?
The film follows them across five chapters, each covering a year. A neurologist tells Tony he may have five good years before the illness really takes hold, and the story checks in on the pair year by year as their lives take different paths. Tony keeps his diagnosis mostly private, worried about his position as a much-loved teacher of young children. Emma, meanwhile, leans on her daughters and on her music. Their friendship grows in the space between those two approaches, and it is that friendship — warm, prickly, funny and honest — that carries the film.
Laura Linney and Rhys Ifans lead a superb cast
The Onwards and Sideways movie is led by two actors at the top of their game. Laura Linney, a three-time Oscar nominee and Emmy and Golden Globe winner known for Ozark and Love Actually, plays Emma with a mix of steel and vulnerability. Rhys Ifans, a BAFTA winner known for House of the Dragon and Inheritance, plays Tony as a man whose jokes arrive a beat before his fear does.
The supporting cast is just as strong. Monica Dolan plays Liz Evans, Tony’s fiercely loving sister, who is there when he needs her most and is not afraid to argue with him when he needs that more. Rory Kinnear plays Professor Ridge, the neurologist who delivers the diagnosis and frames those five good years. The chemistry between the four of them is one of the film’s great pleasures: this is an ensemble piece, not a two-hander, and the people around Tony and Emma matter as much as the pair themselves.
Written by a man who lives with Parkinson’s
What sets the Onwards and Sideways movie apart from most films about illness is who wrote it. Paul Mayhew-Archer, best known as the co-creator of The Vicar of Dibley and the writer of Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s himself in 2011. He also co-hosts the award-winning Parkinson’s podcast Movers and Shakers.
That lived experience runs through the screenplay. The film does not shy away from the hard parts — the medication taken every few hours, the fear of being judged, the way a diagnosis rearranges a family — but it refuses to be only about hardship. Director John Madden has described it as a story of humour 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. The jokes are not pasted on top of the illness; they come from the characters, who use humour the way real people do, as a way of coping and connecting.
John Madden, Thomas Newman and a Norfolk setting
The Onwards and Sideways movie is directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker John Madden, whose credits include Shakespeare in Love, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Operation Mincemeat. He continues his long collaboration with composer Thomas Newman, whose score gives the film much of its emotional lift.
The drama is set in North Norfolk, and the landscape matters. The film’s five-year structure lets the seasons change around Tony and Emma, and the coastal setting gives their story room to breathe. It runs for 115 minutes, and it was produced by Hilltop Screen and John Gore Studios with the BBC. It had its world premiere as a Gala Presentation at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival on 13 September, where early reviews praised the two lead performances and the film’s refusal to turn its characters into symbols.
When and where to watch Onwards and Sideways
For UK audiences, the key date is simple: the Onwards and Sideways movie opens in UK cinemas on 6 November 2026. It will then be shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer later in the year, though an exact BBC date has not been announced. There is no confirmed United States theatrical date yet, and no confirmed date for any other streaming platform, so viewers should treat any other date they see online with caution until a distributor confirms it.
Box office figures are not available yet, since the cinema release has not begun, and no OTT date beyond the BBC window should be claimed. What is certain is that this is a 2026 film through and through: its first festival premiere was at Toronto in September 2026, and its first theatrical release is the UK cinema opening on 6 November 2026.
Watch the official trailer
The official trailer for the Onwards and Sideways movie is embedded below. It introduces Tony and Emma, their shared diagnosis and the humour that keeps them going, without giving away where their five years lead.
Frequently asked questions
When does the Onwards and Sideways movie release?
The Onwards and Sideways movie releases in UK cinemas on 6 November 2026. It will be shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer later in the year.
Who stars in Onwards and Sideways?
Laura Linney stars as Emma Dretzin and Rhys Ifans stars as Tony Evans. Monica Dolan plays Tony’s sister Liz Evans, and Rory Kinnear plays Professor Ridge.
Who directed Onwards and Sideways?
John Madden directed the film from a screenplay by Paul Mayhew-Archer. Thomas Newman composed the music.
Is Onwards and Sideways based on a true story?
No. It is an original story, but writer Paul Mayhew-Archer lives with Parkinson’s himself, having been diagnosed in 2011, and that experience shapes the film.
Where can I watch Onwards and Sideways online?
After its UK cinema run, the film will be shown on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. No other streaming date has been announced yet.
Why this film deserves your attention
The Onwards and Sideways movie could easily have been a worthy, heavy drama. Instead, it is a film about two people who refuse to be reduced to a diagnosis, played by two superb actors, written by someone who knows the subject from the inside, and directed with warmth and wit. If you like British dramas that make you laugh and think in the same scene, this is one to book for the weekend of 6 November.
Sources: John Gore Studios trailer announcement and HeyUGuys trailer report, linked below, plus the film’s Toronto festival coverage. For another new release on this site, see our Carolina Caroline Netflix guide.
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