At this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, the screening lineup has featured a noticeable concentration of narratives centering on specific illnesses, including three films about dementia and two exploring the lives of people with AIDS. While this trend highlights a potential need for lighter entertainment, it also underscores how certain health conditions continue to dominate cinematic storytelling.
Following last year’s festival hit I Swear, which brought significant awareness to Tourette syndrome, director John Madden’s Onwards and Sideways steps into the arena with a more conventional, politely framed approach. The film functions simultaneously as a narrative feature and an educational resource regarding Parkinson’s disease.
Public understanding of Parkinson’s is often limited to high-profile cases such as Muhammad Ali, Michael J. Fox, and recently, Carly Simon. For many viewers, the condition remains an abstract concept defined by a handful of recognizable symptoms, with the vast majority of its realities remaining unknown. Madden’s film, supported by excellent performances from Rhys Ifans and Laura Linney, aims to bridge that gap through authenticity and emotional depth.
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