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.
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. 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.
Two consultants worked closely on the film and ensured that its depiction of Parkinson’s was authentic. That was especially important for Rhys and Linney, who portray characters with different symptoms. But while “Onwards and Sideways” is bringing Madden back to TIFF after 16 years, where he previously unspooled “The Debt” and “Proof,” it’s a noticeably different strategy than 1998‘’’s “Shakespeare in Love” employed, which put him on the map with a director Oscar nomination while the film won best picture.
You have to put it with an audience.’ So we played it at the Paris Theater [in New York] and that was it.” As Madden hops on a plane to Toronto, bringing “Onwards and Sideways” directly to audiences to see how they respond, he looks back on getting to collaborate with Mayhew-Archer and commends the BAFTA nominee’s “defiance” in living with Parkinson’s.
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