I Swear (2025) – Review

Quick Thoughts:

1. Robert Aramayo’s BAFTA win for Best Leading Actor was totally deserved. 
2. I hope the BAFTA debacle doesn’t hurt the US release. The BAFTA showrunners messed up by not educating the awards show attendees beforehand. The film is about educating people about Tourette’s syndrome, and the showrunners failed their assignment. 
3. Peter Mullan, Scott Ellis Watson, and Maxine Peake are wonderful.
4. Since it’s a biopic, it’s a bit episodic, but that’s to be expected when multiple decades of life are consolidated into 120 minutes. 
5. It’s an educational experience that manages to be funny and warmhearted.
6. I need to watch John’s Not Mad (1989) and Tourettes: I Swear I Can’t Help It (2009)

Based on the life of Scottish activist John Davidson, who was diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome in the 1980s. I Swear follows John as he learns to live with his nervous system disorder (with a lot of help from others) and becomes an educational ambassador who educates the UK populace about Tourette’s syndrome. In 2019, He received a Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (and yelled “F**k the Queen” at the ceremony), and it’s nice to see his journey covered in such a lovely film.

The film starts in 1983, and follows 12-year old John (Scott Ellis Watson) as he’s starting high school and on the cusp of soccer stardom. In the first weeks of class, he starts experiencing tics and coprolalia, which manifest during a first date (horrible timing). Since it’s the 1980s, nobody is equipped to deal with John’s condition, so he’s expelled from school, forced to eat in front of a fireplace (he spits food), and his alcoholic father abandons his family. The film then jumps to 1996, where a 25-year-old unemployed John (Robert Aramayo) is still living with his hardworking (and very stern) mom (Shirley Henderson). John is always medicated and seems destined for a depressing life of solitude and apologizing for his tics. His fortunes change when he comes across Murray (Francesco Piacentini-Smith), an old friend who invites him over for dinner. While there, he meets Murray’s mom, Dottie (Maxine Peak), a former mental health nurse who only has six months left to live due to a recent liver cancer diagnosis. After John accidentally smashes a bathroom mirror and eats his meal in front of their fireplace, she convinces John to move into her home so she can help him get off his paralyzing meds, find a job and become more independent. After successfully finding some independence, a wildly understanding man named Tommy Trotter (Peter Mullan – great) hires him to be the assistant caretaker at a local community center. From there, Dottie and Tommy convince Jonathan to start educating police officers, community leaders and students about Tourette’s and its symptoms. 

Since the film takes place between 1983 and 2023, a lot of ground is covered, but it never feels overly episodic. We see what happens when he goes to nightclubs (he gets into fights) or sends for dinner orders (he gets brutalized after blurting out “whore” to a woman). The best moments come during his interactions with Tommy, who pushes him to educate people and is supremely patient with his co-worker despite the occasional low blow (John’s right hand is unpredictable). 

Director/writer Kirk Jones (Waking Ned Devine, Everybody’s Fine) spent a lot of time with Davidson and learned to keep things loose so lead actor Aramayo could be free to play the character on a moment-to-moment basis. The first thing they shot was a scene between Aramayo and Andrea Bisset, a teenager with Tourette’s. The two were allowed to improvise, and their interactions helped establish the humorous and authentic tone. Aramayo spent months with Davidson, and his hard work paid off in a beautiful performance. Aramayo wanted to avoid impersonation, so he dug deep into the syndrome and worked with a movement coach for his performance. The vibe and pacing of I Swear sticks closely to other UK underdog stories (Eddie the Eagle, The Full Monty, Billy Elliot, Shaun of the Dead, The Phantom of the Open, and Chariots of Fire), which is totally fine because the film is meant to be uplifting, and not depressing. The end production is a crowd-pleaser film that never condescends.