I SWEAR

The film doesn't shy away from the extremities of John's tics, but it also takes the time to show us the means by which he learns to navigate around it. Rather than begging for sympathy, Aramayo's performance is careful and nuanced, showing John as a clear-eyed, intelligent and empathetic man who is determined to persevere under these circumstances. One of the central messages of the film is that there is an expectation that people with disabilities need to find ways to fit within the able-bodied or neurotypical world. What Dottie begins to teach John, and by effect those around him, is that it needs to be the opposite - that there is space to reshape the world to offer understanding, support and accomodation for those with disabilities, and that it isn't necessarily their job to reshape it for themselves. Doors need to be opened for them.

One key event in the film that perfectly captures this is John believing he can't hold a job, that there's no workplace that can accommodate his tics. With Dottie's support, he applies for an assistant caretaker job at the local community hall, under the supervision of head caretaker Tommy (Peter Mullan, 'Children of Men'). Rather than being rejected, John is embraced, his strong work ethic and natural empathy recognised above the swearing and spitting and slapping. He finds in Dottie and Tommy a sense of understanding and acceptance, and also permission to find the humour in his condition. This is one of the film's cleverest tricks - it begins by stripping us of the ability to laugh at John, and then slowly gives us the permission to laugh with John, his ability to laugh at his outbursts a form of agency and ownership over it. Those around him still need time to acclimatise, and the film gives them that space, but it's their willingness to acclimatise that matters.

Underpinning the film's advocacy is a powerful emotional core on the complicated relationships between parents and children. John's condition exacerbates an already tenuous relationship between him and his mother, Heather (Shirley Henderson, 'Bridget Jones' Diary'), where their expectations of each other are strained to breaking point. The obvious approach would be to position Dottie and Tommy as John's alternate family, but Jones never throws Heather under the bus entirely. Their relationship is the general stigma around Tourette's as a microcosm, the wall that separates them from having the close emotional relationship they clearly want. Bringing Heather to a place of understanding becomes the final key to John's journey, and for both of them, this relationship also holds the possibility of catharsis. Again, if the film wasn't as invested in the integrity of these interpersonal relationships, its social message would not be as powerful. There is no villain in 'I Swear', and though John could ultimately be seen as its hero, the film never loses sight of or sympathy for the many lives such a syndrome can affect and the paths one can take to live with and understand it, even celebrate it.

In the final act of the film, and as John realises his power as an advocate, we do slip a little further into a more didactic mode; John's monologues explaining Tourette's in professional settings feel a little like he is lecturing to us, but once again, Jones and his collaborators have considered this. While John has been the key focus for much of the film, we are introduced to a wider Tourette's community, bringing back echoes of his emotional intensity as a young man. We see more young people navigating the world with Tourette's, and thankfully how different that world is from what John had to navigate, in large part because of John. It brings us back down to earth after the necessary narrative tropes, reminding us that the film and John do not exist in isolation. His is one story, one of many, and each of those stories carries the same struggles, losses and victories as John's. What he offers is a lens through which to view the stories we haven't met yet but may well encounter in our daily lives.

From a filmmaking perspective, 'I Swear' is beautifully unadorned. Everything is serving its function, and I mean that as a compliment. The narrative is clear and streamlined, the cinematography captures the gentle suburbia of Galasheils without romanticising it, and the editing helps guide us through moments of comedy and tragedy. It's really a hallmark of these kinds of British dramas that, at their best ('One Life', 'Testament of Youth'), they know how to keep out of the way and just let their story or subject take the lead.

This lies almost entirely on Robert Aramayo's shoulders, and he carries it with such tremendous skill and humanity. This is the definition of a career-making performance, allowing him to demonstrate both his impressive physical command and his breathtaking emotional intelligence. He's careful never to make John a tragic figure, finding more weariness than torment. In fact, the beauty of his performance is his lightness, the way he seems to bound into every scene. It's impossible not to love John as Aramayo gives him to us, and the film simply wouldn't work if that were the case. It also means that the moments when optimism or determination cracks feel all the more devastating. It's where weariness gives way to exhaustion, the physical and emotional exhaustion of a body and a brain attacking the soul and the need to justify your right to inhabit the world at all. This is a truly great performance, and one deserving of endless accolades.

Also key to the film is the wonderful Maxine Peake as Dottie, who helps guide John's journey of discovery and sets his tone of perseverance and optimism. Peake relished in Dottie's delicious no-nonsense approach and wicked sense of humour, understanding her role in the film as partly the permission for the audience to relax. She looks at John with nothing but love, something that balances beautifully with the coiled spring of Shirley Henderson as Heather. In fact, neither works without the other, the two sides of the same coin, that of a love for John - one is able to navigate around his condition while the other is clouded by it, and it is to the film's great advantage to have two such great actors fulfilling this balance. And rounding it off is living legend Peter Mullins as Tommy, weaponising his ability to be both threatening and warm-hearted with outrageous dexterity. Mullins is such a magnificent actor, and his scenes with Aramayo burst with electricity and generosity.

In many ways, 'I Swear' is exactly the film you expect it to be. It's the story of someone overcoming a disadvantage, balancing humour and sadness, and building to a rousing finale that celebrates the human spirit. And yet, within that familiar structure is an honesty and a veracity that elevates it from a good film to a great one. I walked away from the film with such a greater understanding of the struggles of Tourette Syndrome, not because it simply told me, but because it anchored this need to educate with a need to inspire and move. I connected so deeply with John's story, with his hopes and dreams shattered, his world redefined, his determination to succeed and his tremendous joy at finding his place in the world. I left, as I had hoped, more informed and understanding than I had been before. And in that sense, Kirk Jones has not only celebrated John Davidson's advocacy for people with Tourette's with 'I Swear'. He's carried it further.

The 'I Swear' competition has now closed. Winners will be announced shortly. Check our Comps page for all a list of our winners.

Competition opens at 5:00pm AEDT on Sunday 15th March 2026 and closes at 11:59 pm AEDT on Sunday 22nd March 2026. Five winners will be chosen at random on Monday 23rd March 2026. To successfully win, entrants must fulfil the above entry conditions before the time the competition closes. Current members/followers are eligible to enter the competition. Only one entry per person. Only one winner per household. To be a valid winner, the entrant must not have won a prize from SWITCH within the last 28 days. Each winner will receive one double pass to 'I Swear'. By entering, you agree to receive occasional emails from SWITCH in the future. If you decide to unsubscribe from these updates, any further entries will not be applicable. Only Australian residents are eligible to enter.