‘I Swear’: Robert Aramayo Delivers a Performance of Perseverance in True Story of Tourette Syndrome Activist

Alci Rengifo

Kirk Jones’ “I Swear” walks quite a delicate set of fine lines. It tells the story of John Davidson, who came of age in 1980s Scotland with Tourette Syndrome, at a time where the condition was even more misunderstood than today. Most audience members walking into this film might guess that there is some sense of triumph at the end of the story, which indeed there is. At the same time, Jones’ screenplay manages to properly balance the heartbreak and even humor of Davidson’s journey. The film does not laugh at him but with him. In a sense we are all victims of fate, at times straddled with conditions we would never ask for. This film doesn’t shy away from Davidson’s frustrations, but acknowledges there can be a silver lining.

The opening scenes in a way reveal the end, as an adult John (Robert Aramayo) receives an honor from the Queen in Edinburgh in 2019. When he arrives for the ceremony in proper attire, he blurts out “fuck the Queen.” It is not meant as a political statement but as our first glimpse at the tics and compulsions that are a feature of John’s Tourette diagnosis. How did he get here? The narrative goes back to 1983, when a younger John (Scott Ellis Watson) is entering adolescence. All seems normal until he starts developing the first tics and random firing of phrases signaling something is wrong. Classmates mock him while bullish teachers apply corporal punishment. At home it is no better as John’s mum, Heather (Shirley Henderson), can’t cope with the situation while father David (Steven Cree) walks out on the family. A few years later an aimless John (Aramayo) finds a new home with Dottie (Maxine Peake), a former nurse from a psychiatric hospital who recognizes John’s condition. She begins to make him feel more accepted than anyone else ever has, but that does not mean the wider world isn’t full of constant peril.

“The beauty of Kirk’s script is how it has stakes, that for a movie might seem low, but in this movie they are incredibly high. That was one of the things that drew me to it, those moments we can all relate to,” Aramayo told Entertainment Voice. His point goes to the film’s most involving moments. For John, going to the supermarket or applying for a job can be terribly risky. When he first meets Dottie, who is the mother of a friend, he already knows she has cancer and blurts out with a nasal laugh, “You’re going to die of cancer.” By now he is used to saying “I’m sorry” every few minutes and Dottie is the first person to tell him not to apologize.  Few are lucky to find someone who gets them. Inviting John to a pub can mean accidentally starting a brawl because one of his twitches knocks out someone’s beer mug. He is quite the curious sight while walking home having to stop to kiss a light pole that happens to stand at a particular angle which triggers a compulsion. 

Kirk and Aramayo, who won the 2025 BAFTA Film Award for Best Actor, hit some genuinely funny notes when exploring some side effects of John’s condition. When local dealers recruit him to carry some drugs under his jumper, John blurts out what he’s doing when coming across two cops. Aramayo accomplishes a true performance of empathy, never falling into the traps of overplaying John into a caricature of a condition. The fear of someone unaccustomed to being comfortable in the world is heartbreakingly palpable. “Our common interest was tone,” Kirk told Entertainment Voice, “that’s what we talked about most days. It’s not a regular story like some romantic comedy or period piece. It was a story about someone with Tourette’s. Telling John’s story made me and Robert constantly check in with each other to make sure we had it right.” What could be farce becomes very emotive. The tension is captured well of what it feels like for John to be invited for dinner at someone’s home. He hides in the bathroom, trying to will away his tics. The only place where he can find work is a local community center run by Tommy (Peter Mullan), an older man with enough wisdom to treat John with dignity. 

Like many good dramas of this type, “I Swear” is in its own way quite educational. By treating its subject with such humanism, it will no doubt inspire viewers to seek out information on a condition that is still misunderstood. The third act takes on the feel good tone of a family drama where acceptance and understanding seem possible. Maybe for John it’s all very true. He did become an advocate for educating the public on Tourette’s, which is why the Queen eventually bestowed on him a medal.  John could definitely be called lucky, though his activism was determined by all the cruelties endured. “I Swear” is a drama that actually does some good and proves a film can be made nearly about anything. What matters is the goal and if there’s any heart.

“I Swear” releases April 24 in theaters nationwide.