TIFF 51: Best Actress Watch – “Being Heumann” and “Onwards and Sideways”

by Eurocheese

Ruth Madeley might be a new Best Actress contender for her work in BEING HEUMANN.

Coming into the fall festivals, no category has been a larger question mark in the Oscar race than The Film Experience’s highest honor – Best Actress. Aside from a couple of clear frontrunners (see my comments on The Debut), there appears to be room for a number of new challengers to find their way into the race. How likely are some of the pictures debuting at Toronto to factor in? If these two world premieres are any indication, the race is heating up. There’s Being Heumann, starring a heroic Ruth Madeley, and Onwards and Sideways, with the lovely Laura Linney…

BEING HEUMANN, Siân Heder

Activist Judy Heumann chose CODA director Siân Heder herself to convey her story in Being Heumann, based on what was passed on in the Q&A after the screening. A direct, sharp-tongued woman whose determination helped drive nationwide changes, Heumann is described by other characters in the film as “the asshole we need,” someone whose combative nature aided in the community’s fight to make sure rights for the disabled weren’t just on the books but actually enacted. As Judy heads out to a protest early in the film, we see her ask for a second pair of underwear and sneak her toothbrush into her bag, so it comes as no surprise when the protest outside the San Francisco HEW building turns into an occupation of the building.

This is followed by protests in major cities nationwide. As our protagonist, Heumann is a force of nature who doesn’t seem perturbed or distracted by physical demands. She even spontaneously announces she will go on a hunger strike until US Secretary of Health and Human Services Joe Califano (played by Mark Ruffalo) signs Section 504, demanding that action be taken to make accessibility a national priority. As the film indicates, she often acts first and considers details later, forcing her followers to figure out the realities of an ongoing occupation where food, medication, police intimidation and cut phone lines become primary concerns.

Actress Ruth Madeley described Heumann as one of her personal heroes, feeling a strong responsibility to play her grit while still showcasing her flaws. One of the reasons Heumann was interested in having Heder direct the project was her casting of deaf actors in CODA, insisting that the film needed to have disabled actors in these roles. And considering the results, she was right. This is a juicy breakout role for Madeley, who has largely worked in British television and theater, and has advocated for disabled roles to be played by disabled actors in Hollywood. She is a commanding central presence in every scene – the rest of the ensemble look to her to react in every situation.

Though Heder’s lighter touch with the material in CODA lands with a strong impact, here the frequent jokes can reduce the stakes of the fight that’s happening on screen. Part of this is intentional – the occupation turns into a sort of communal party for many of the protesters, where sex and drugs are embraced as the viewer might expect from a story set in the 1970s. Still, the frequent needle drops and sitcom-like interactions make this more of a commercial play than an attempt at cinematic greatness. Heder captures the sexuality and humor of her ensemble, but several characters become talking points rather than fully fleshed-out human beings. Only Judy stands out as the catalyst, and even then, we barely get hints of her backstory. The film is rousing, but its emotional manipulations make no attempt to hide themselves. If the story itself moves the Academy (and it is history that deserves a spotlight), Madeley does an excellent job with her material and Actress is the most logical place to reward Being Heumann. Outside of an additional Best Casting play, this won’t be a significant contender in other categories.

ONWARDS AND SIDEWAYS, John Madden

Onwards and Sideways may also have limited reach as far as Oscar potential, but given the audience’s enthusiastic response at its screening, this might be a premature dismissal. Rhys Ifans plays Tony, an aging elementary school teacher with a sudden tremor that turns into a diagnosis of Parkinson’s. After his sister (Monica Dolan) has a confrontation in the parking lot with a stranger, he later runs into Emma (Laura Linney) again and finds out she has been diagnosed on the same day. They share a brief conversation, where both of them begin to grapple with what they have just heard, before she disappears. 

Then the focus shifts, and we realize this is not going to be a story from only one person’s perspective. Emma will not be the inspiring foil to our protagonist’s downturn – she is her own complicated character, one that is not handling her fated news as well as she might appear. This allows for a storyline where both central characters not only find ways to try to help each other, but play into one another’s bad habits, cause damage and question if they are handling things in the right way, if such a thing exists. Both have been told they have five good years left. How will they spend that time, and what will they do after? Despite their obvious chemistry, they try speed dating at one point, hoping to find someone who will care enough about them to care for their wellbeing as they begin to deteriorate.

By exploring this angle, the film also asks about the nature of love. What if the person you care about doesn’t fit your needs? Screenwriter Paul Mayhew-Archer, who also plays a supporting role in the film, told the audience how much it meant to him to have this story shared, now that he is dealing with the later stages of Parkinson’s himself. He also stressed the importance of finding humor in the dark subject matter, stressing that comedy was one of the best ways to cope with his situation. His voice and ability to turn unsettling personal challenges into surprising comedic moments keep the heavy subject matter from overwhelming the Onwards and Sideways.

Unsurprisingly, Linney finds the right notes to play in every scene, and while Ifans is matching her energy, the actress’ charm and resolve make her character’s pitfalls that much more devastating. Her fear of becoming attached to a potentially doomed relationship is just as resonant as the terror of what happens to her at every stage of the disease, though she is determined to find positive outlooks. She also touches on symptoms of risk-taking and gambling that almost make her seem manic in moments, and her fervor is understandable to the audience, especially when tied to Parkinsons’ short-term quality of life expectancy. Linney hasn’t had a showy big-screen role like this in some time, and it is so welcome to see her avoid “inspiring” clichés for a flawed, moving portrait of someone at the end of their rope. 

Depending on audience impact here at TIFF and during the picture’s commercial release, Onwards and Sideways may be an awards player for its sharp screenplay and possibly for Linney, who has the more erratic ups and downs in the story, the showier part with Oscar clip potential. Will audiences show up for a film that shifts between the dark side of illness and the potential for connection or even romance mid-struggle? It’s hard to say, but if it garners enough attention, Linney would absolutely be worthy of another Best Actress nomination after last competing for the trophy nineteen long years ago, with The Savages.

What other Best Actress contenders do you feel might be kickstarting their awards season arc at the Toronto International Film Festival?

Comments

[McGill]

Although sadly (triple sob) I haven’t seen the movies, after reading TIFF reviews, actresses I would like to see strutting their stuff are:
Rinko Kikuchi in Shake Your Booty, Ha-Chan!
Michele Yeoh in The Surgeon
Helen Mirren in A Talent for Murder

[par]

nineteen years since the savages?? time for the lauraissance!