Must See Movie Review “I Swear” Follows Early Tourette’s Patient As Condition Gains Recognition
See the video below for clips and the trailer for this excellent film:
This film was quite excellent from start to finish. In the very first scene we met the protagonist and a woman friend of his as he is scheduled to speak with the queen of England. He’s from Scotland, after all. But at he enters the room with all of the guests seated at their dinner table, he says…”F**k the queen!” And so it begins.
But first we journey into his childhood, when the disease first plagues him, in his adolescence. Prior to that, it had no symptoms. After that there was nothing but symptoms. He tried to hide it, from himself, his teachers and headmaster, and from his parents and sister. But it just got worse and worse, as this syndrome often does. Until finally he learned more about it and that it is an actual illness.
He manages to cope with it, but has been put on very strong medications on an off label usage. Anti-psychotics and other very powerful drugs. At this point he is an adult but not self sufficient. He meets his old friend from school, who tells him about his mother who has just been diagnosed with a terrible late stage cancer, from which she’s likely to die.
Dottie, as she’s known, comes out to meet her son’s friend. And he immediately blurts out: “You’re dying of cancer! Ha ha!” He immediately apologized, but she is actually a mental health professional, and she tells him to stop apologizing for something that isn’t his fault. She tells him that she’s not offended by his outburst, and that it’s the most honest anyone’s been with her lately.
Then she shocks everyone when she invites him to live with them. She encourages him to stop the medicines that aren’t working and are causing real damage, and he learns with great difficulty to live with this disease.
A particularly funny moment comes when someone runs up to him, shoves a paper bag in his hands, says ‘drugs’ and runs away. He walks down the street uncontrollably yelling out: Drugs! I’ve got illegal drugs here! I’m carrying drugs! And then a cop sees him, and he says the same to him. Clearly he isn’t able to ever keep a secret, all other things considered. An accomplice in a crime he will never be. At that moment he’s arrested and the substance is tested.
Turns out someone played a mean trick on him who knew his disorder. It was just flour. So he’s let go. But he can’t keep a secret due to his illness. He wouldn’t make a good getaway driver either.
The film is funny and engaging, and even though it was a difficult time for the protagonist, still it was something that can be seen in a more lighthearted way. He was very fortunate to have found such an accepting second family, particularly since his own family was not very emotionally available to him. In that sense it was reminiscent of Elsa in Frozen, and how her parents were very distant from her, always encouraging her to hide her differences rather than accepting them. While that was magic and this is a health condition, there are some parallels in parenting.
Dottie’s help didn’t stop with inviting him to live with them. She helped him to find an employer who could understand and accept him for who he was and not see him as just the condition.
A particularly poignant moment in the film involves his employer’s testimony in his favor, which eventually saves him from prison. Due to another misunderstanding because of his condition, he was arrested for real and stood before the court, unable to control his outbursts. He is eventually dismissed from the witness stand by a judge with little compassion.
The prosecuting attorney has claimed that Mr. Davidson is faking the illness. His employer sees this and is frank with the judge. Why would anyone pretend to have an illness that would put them in the hospital after a massive beating from someone who didn’t know him that he spoke an expletive to, or even land him in jail due to his poor language? Thankfully the judge agreed and the case was dismissed.
One thing I noticed throughout the film is that if the actor is correctly mimicking the condition, it looks like a neurological disorder that could be caused by a deficiency of a B vitamin or even magnesium. It turns out that has actually been studied, and magnesium and vitamin B6 have both been implicated. And no one has really looked into whether it could be caused by a B3 deficiency. Diets in England and presumably Scotland as well are really lacking in nurturing content. That’s the place hard tack and gruel for sailors originated, so it’s easy to think that maybe diet has to do with it. Supplementing with these vitamins is cheap and simple, and they don’t have the side effects that medications do, and are beneficial even if they don’t alleviate the condition.
Specifically, lecithin and choline have been studied in Tourette’s syndrome, as well as those with other neurological conditions, with very good results. You can learn more in this study: Orthomolecular (Vitamin/ Nutrient) Therapy for Neurological Conditions
In addition: “THC and CBD compounds have shown potential in reducing tics. A single dose of THC led to significant tic reduction, and ongoing trials are exploring the efficacy of various cannabinoid formulations.”
Supplementing with L-theanine and vitamin B6 has also shown benefit in reducing tic symptoms in patients with Tourette’s.
Overall the film is excellent. The script is very good, the soundtrack is great, and the story is quite riveting. It’s a film you won’t be able to stop watching until the end. It’s that good. I’d give it five stars and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a really great film on an interesting and often misunderstood topic.
John and Dottie film still. Image Credit – Sony Pictures
The crowd-pleasing film I SWEAR just received three BAFTA wins including Best Actor, EE Rising Star for Robert Aramayo and Best Casting.
Robert Aramayo is the first person to win both Rising Star and Best Actor at the BAFTAs and managed to beat out heavyweights including Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothée Chalamet.
I SWEAR is the inspiring, extraordinary life story of notable Tourette Syndrome campaigner, John Davidson, MBE. John was awarded an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) by the Queen of England in recognition of this work.
The film is written and directed by Kirk Jones and stars touching performances from Robert Aramayo (“Game of Thrones”), Peter Mullan (War Horse), Maxine Peake (The Theory of Everything) and Shirley Henderson (the Harry Potter series).
Kirk Jones’ emotionally engaging, funny and compelling script charts John Davidson’s Tourette’s diagnosis at the age of 15 years old. Set within 1980s Britain, the story follows him throughout his troubled teens and early adulthood, and explores this little known and entirely misunderstood condition, along with his attempts to live a ‘normal’ life against the odds.
I Swear had its world premiere out of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival before it went on to win Best Lead Performance for Robert Aramayo and nominated for eight additional categories including Film, Director, Screenplay & Supporting Performances at BIFA. The film also received nominations at the London Critics Circle Film Awards, Dublin Film Critics Circle Awards and UK Film Critics Association Awards.
I Swear went to #1 during its theatrical release in the UK and is among the top 10 British films in the UK for 2025.
Sony Pictures Classics will release the film in theaters on April 24th.
Film still. Image Credit- Sony Pictures
ABOUT JOHN DAVIDSON
John Davidson was diagnosed with Tourette’s at a time when there was no information available to the public regarding the condition. His parents were at a loss about how to deal with the developing symptoms which only contributed to his difficulties in learning to live with the condition.
With help from Dottie, a friend’s mother, John was eventually able to secure work as a handyman as well as his own accommodation.
While still a teenager, John was the subject of a BBC documentary which was widely viewed and greatly contributed to public awareness of Tourette’s Syndrome. He has participated in several follow-up documentaries as an adult.
Over the past thirty-five years, John has also been heavily involved in supporting children and adults with Tourette’s, and creating and running Tourette’s Syndrome support groups in Scotland.
In 2019, John was awarded an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) by the Queen of England in recognition of this work.
Banner Image: Movie poster. Image Credit – Sony Pictures
