Review: I Swear

Posted by: Matthew Ardill  •  April 21, 2026 @ 9:43pm

Filed under: Reviews

I Swear is the true story of John Davidson, a recipient of the MBE for his work educating people about Tourette syndrome. John was a kid like any other growing up outside Edinburgh – he liked playing football and worked his paper route. There were big hopes for his future education, and then as puberty hit, everything changed. It started as twitches and flinching, and it eventually became vocal and – in the 1980s where little was known about the syndrome – his life was irrevocably altered.

The story covers his life: the early years at the start of his journey, when he reconnects with a school chum whose mother helps him grapple with his experiences and find new tools to negotiate the challenges, and ends with his discovery of his voice as an advocate and the experience that created, not just for himself but for members of his community.

The presentation I went to was hosted by Tourette Canada, an advocacy organization that works with people experiencing Tourette syndrome, and the audience was full of members of that community. Neurodivergence is often presented on screen in ways that are at best manipulative and at worst insulting. This was a community that had come together and saw itself presented honestly and faithfully, told in the voice of one of their own for the first time. The tics of the audience were heard, but so were their laughs as was their applause – and that applause was well earned.

The story used the tools of 80s and 90s Scotland. The music and clothing of the era were matter of fact and grounded in the reality of living where and when they were. All of the performances were incredible. Shirley Henderson and Maxine Peake portrayed the mother and adoptive caretaker of John, showing two women who clearly love and care for this man struggling but expressing it in different ways, as well as John's relationship with both of these women. That said, the performances of Robert Aramayo as John and Peter Mullan as Tommy Trotter, the caretaker who gives John his opportunity to break the cycle of his life to that point, are revelatory.

Robert's performance as John is honest and grounded. There are moments of humour in it, but only the humour that is experienced in day-to-day life. It's never played for laughs, and there's an earnestness to the performance that is seldom seen on screen. Mullan's Tommy meanwhile was a kind heart and a gentle hand, offering the clarity of someone who genuinely wants the best for John and never feels like a pastiche or a trope to move the story forward.

Around 30 years ago, I worked at a camp providing care for people with different disabilities, I was paired with a teenager who had Tourette's. He was constantly moving, constantly talking, and at times saying some of the cruelest and most hurtful things you could put into words. One of the targets was a person he very much had a crush on, and the person most angry at him saying those things was himself. This was covered in the film when John was finding his path, and I wish this kid had the guidance of someone like John and the world had a film like this to understand this child's journey. I highly recommend seeing this film as soon as you can. There are moments that will be hard and painful to watch and hear, but it's important to experience.

Tags: Robert Aramayo, Maxine Peake, Somerland Capbell, John Davidson, BAFTA, Peter Mullan, I Swear, Tourette syndrome

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