TIFF 2026 Review: Up Against It – “There was so much potential here.”

Courtesy of TIFF

The title card of Up Against It may have been strangely indicative of what was to come in Trudie Styler’s complicated misfire.  Garish pink early 90’s style font up against the British parliament buildings is such a strange decision, just like many choices in the rest of the film.  

Up Against it is just tonally uneven, never really knowing whether it should lean into comedy or drama and therefore staying at arm’s length from either. And it’s a shame, as there is a good story here.  

Rose (Eden Hamilton) is a 14-year-old who is never happy with her mother, Saffron (Eva Birthistle).  Even though her mom seems very happy with her new finace, Kingsley (Arinzé Kene) who is seemingly an idyllic partner, Rose blames her for pushing away her father Álvaro (Antonio Banderas).  That is even though years ago her parents separated after Álvaro had an affair with the first cellist in his orchestra, Lara (Úrsula Corberó), now his live-in girlfriend.  Rose is certainly more at home with her father than her mother, whom she always butts heads with.  

Spoilers ahead.

But, after she drinks too much at her mother and Kingsley’s engagement party, a trip to the emergency room reveals that Rose has acute myeloid leukaemia.  And her parents have to reveal to her that when she was very young, she also faced cancer (because it’s probably not important that she ever would have needed to know her medical history).  The best option to save her now is to find a bone marrow donor.  But, the best one would be a biological sibling.  So, can Saffron and Álvaro, who can barely be in a room together, figure out their differences to save their daughter? 

Saviour siblings, children born basically for their stem cells, aren’t that common, especially with advancements in medicine.  But it makes for an interesting ethical dilemma – which isn’t truly explored here beyond what a new baby would mean for Kingsley and Lara.  There are a couple of scenes involving a group of doctors (one of which is played by Forest Whitaker) that bring this up, but it’s largely swept under the rug.    

That’s because once Rose finds out what is happening, there are some weird Parent Trap vibes that come into play with her arranging for her parents to be together at a function in the hopes that perhaps romance might blossom.  But it works, and although Saffron is of ‘advanced maternal age ’, she immediately becomes pregnant naturally.  How convenient! Just to spoil it all, don’t worry, once it seems like Rose is about to perish, her saviour baby is born and then we all get a very awkward dance number at the end!

See what I mean about the tone?  It’s not helped by the fact that the score seems to oscillate between Spanish guitar (which makes sense due to Banderas’ musician character) and some weirdly Disney-esque music.  There are some unnecessarily lingering shots and strange camera movements that only emphasize the film’s odd composition.  I find it incredible that two acclaimed editors like Walter Fasano (Call Me By Your Name) and Nathan Nugent (Room) had any part in putting this together.  And with this film coming in at over two hours, they certainly didn’t do enough. Also, the original title for this film was “Rose’s Baby” and we should perhaps be thankful they changed it from that cringey moniker.

The absolute saving grace for Up Against It is its cast, especially Banderas and Birthistle, who are quite lovely and sincere as the estranged parents.  Their wonderful performances pull this film from the brink and keep you invested, even if the rest of the movie seems squandered.  There was so much potential here – from a modern take on relationships and parenting, to the beautiful depiction of the almost step-parents as loving guardians, to the moral discussions surrounding Rose’s new sibling.  But this film cannot seem to find its identity, and because of that, it misses every emotional beat.  

Up Against It had its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, Thursday September 17th.  For more information head to tiff.net.