WRITER & DIRECTOR
Kirk Jones
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, What To Expect When You’re Expecting, Everybody’s Fine, Nanny McPhee, Waking Ned Devine

STARS
Robert Aramayo, Scott Ellis Watson, Peter Mullan, Shirley Henderson, Francesco Piacentini-Smith and Maxine Peake

No, I Swear is not a film about R&B group All-4-One or their titular hit from 1994.

F*** yes, I Swear is a film about one man’s story after he is diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome based on a true story to highly and broadly recommend!

Life for John Davidson in the Scottish Borders town of Galashiels in 1983 was relatively “normal” until the age of 12 (played by Scott Ellis Watson in this timeline). He comes from a working class family, has friends at school and is a promising football goalkeeper. But, as it so often does, life has other plans for John and intervenes in class one day during a reading. No one knew of Tourette’s back in 83 let alone what its symptoms could be. Fellow pupils make fun of him. His early signs of being a football (or soccer as we refer to it as down under) prodigy are suddenly nowhere to be seen. He is punished for his “behaviour” at school by teachers and at home by his parents. Mum, Heather (Shirley Henderson) even thinks a nice hot bath and lemonade can fix it. If no one can understand it, then how can anyone ever really accept John’s tics, colourful language, unorthodox behaviour and remarks deemed inappropriate for precisely what it is?

Well, fast forward 13 years where John (now played by Robert Aramayo) meets the mother (Maxine Peake) of an old friend (Francesco Piacentini-Smith), who makes a significant difference to the rest of his life.

Hand on heart, there are only complimentary things to share about I Swear. It is a film that is an all-round success, starting with its sympathetic and uplifting storytelling. Courtesy of knowledge we possess in 2025, the ability to genuinely feel for John as he simultaneously endures the sudden onset of symptoms belonging to a syndrome he has no awareness of and the additional torment coming from every facet and person in his life happens automatically. These sentiments only grow more deeply as I Swear chronicles John’s adult life too, but this story is no one-way ticket to the tissue box. The writing that brings John’s story to screen also recognises its more light-hearted aspects all throughout too. There is total awareness of the fact that regular society does find many remarks and actions to come from John to be offensive and insists on having some fun with that without ever making fun of the condition itself. So, when John uses certain expletives in the Queen’s presence during the film’s opening scene, you immediately know this will be a comedic kind of drama and is better for it.

Focusing on our central character and his personal journey, growth and life trajectory, I Swear is so well documented and finely acted by both actors portraying John. When Dottie (the mother of John’s friend) enters his life, real support arrives, and with that, it clearly asserts the value of educating ourselves when something is not understood as it deserves to be and the unjust nature of people’s judgements. It might be easier to judge than it is to truly understand, but that never makes judgement right or fair. I love the film for using this story to showcase that. While John does and will continue to experience setbacks, he is also finding purpose in his existence, direction from his deeds, and reminds us all that we hold the pencil that controls how our stories are re-written. 

I Swear is showing in selected cinemas across Australia as part of the Russell Hobbs British Film Festival 2025 from November 5th to December 7th, 2025.

Moviedoc thanks Palace, Miranda Brown Publicity and the Russell Hobbs British Film Festival for the invitation to the screening of this film. 

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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