Growing up in the 90s, there were limited movies about divorce. The term coparenting didn’t exist yet, so there certainly wasn’t a script that redefined it. The new movie Up Against It explores how exes with unorthodox relationships and unresolved issues can thrive during a crisis.
Up Against It is such a captivating story that I barely took any notes in the dark. Rose (Eden Hamilton) is an only child who gets leukemia at 14 years old. Then her divorced parents Saffron (Eva Birthistle) and Alvaro (Antonio Banderas) agree to have a second child together to help her through a transfusion.
It’s hilarious how Disney’s Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo song plays in the background. The lyrics, “Put ’em together and what have you got?” echo the magical concept of how enemies having another baby could save Rose’s life.
The parents’ new partners Kingsley (Arinzé Kene) and Laura (Úrsula Corberó) adorably tap their phones to exchange phone numbers under an umbrella. Thankfully they bond in the rain before they’ve fully processed how Rose’s diagnosis will change their lives. Their close relationship with Rose is special because they don’t need marriage certificates to become stepparents. They share food, clothes and so much love.
Up Against It has a fresh take on a girl’s cancer experience. Unlike movies such as The Fault In Our Stars or A Walk To Remember which focus on high school romances, this story is all about Rose and her parents. It makes you hopeful about life after divorce and suggests that broken homes can be repaired. It’s sort of like a parent trap situation that the kid never would’ve imagined.
There’s an overarching question of where Rose feels the most at home and she seamlessly adapts to living in a hospital. Her medical team becomes like extended family, including a doctor played by Forest Whitaker. That’s why the final scene is incredibly moving. The last dance number lets you recover after feeling a rollercoaster of emotions throughout the movie. It’s wonderful how uplifting music bookends the movie from Rose’s trip home from school to a dance that unites the entire cast.
This could only be described as a comedy because they manage to put the drama behind them. In the post-screening Q&A, director Trudie Styler remarked how it shows that joy and sorrow can coexist. Trudie said she hired Eden Hamilton because she auditioned as a feisty teen, rather than playing the victim. That feistiness quickly makes you invested in her future.
By the time the cast of Up Against It arrived, they walked into a room full of tears. That’s why you can’t wear mascara to TIFF!
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I previewed this film as part of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).