Onwards and Sideways stars Rhys Ifans and Laura Linney as Tony and Emma, two people with Parkinson’s for whom their diagnosis starts a new and unexpected new chapter in life. The film’s writer, Paul Mayhew-Archer, who has credits including The Vicar of Dibley – and who also has a role in the film – was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2011 when he was in his late 50s. Here, he explains how he hopes the film can raise awareness of the condition.
I am grateful to Parkinson’s for giving me experiences that I would not have missed for the world, one of them being the chance to make this film.
The story is about two people who are diagnosed with Parkinson’s on the same day. They meet and in time, we see their shared values, sense of humour and approach to life which is being threatened by something which is superhuman.
Parkinson’s is a strange illness. It has 46 symptoms and people are affected by it in all sorts of different ways. One of the purposes of this film is to illustrate what some of these look like. There are lots of misunderstandings – a key one being that people tend to think you have Parkinson’s if you have a tremor. Actually, 30% of people with the disease don’t.
My whole belief about Parkinson’s is that you have to find a way of combatting it. Some people find it in exercise or bursts of creativity; I find it in the desire and determination to find it funny. I remember when my neurologist told me that I had Parkinson’s. My wife said, “How do you know it’s Parkinson’s?”, and he replied “Various different things. For instance, your arm doesn’t swing when you walk and your face is frozen, you seem to be finding it quite difficult to smile.”
I remember saying, “That could be because you’ve just told me I’ve got Parkinson’s.” I try to see it from that point of view, rather than the traditional sense of, ‘Oh dear it’s a terrible disease’.
