Movie

Onwards and Sideways

2026 · 105 min

A gentle, heartfelt drama about finding connection and joy after a life-changing diagnosis, balancing warmth and sadness.

Overview: Tony Evans is the deputy head of a local primary school. Emma Dretzin is a pianist, composer and single mother of two daughters. Neither knows the other until a startling encounter changes the course of their lives: on the same morning, they are both confronted with a diagnosis of Parkinson’s.
How it feels: Warm, melancholic, earnest and romantic. Measured and needs your attention.
About: Healing, love, family, identity
Content: Mild sexual content and language. No violence or gore.
Note: Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Full breakdown

Tone: warmstrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 2 of 3
romanticstrength 1 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: healing
love
family
identity
parenthood
Places: big city
hospital
home
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: None
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence none
Sex mild