Robert Aramayo
John
I Swear
“I blink. I twitch. I jump. I click. I whistle. I shout.”
2025
2h 1m
Director: Kirk Jones
Overview
Diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at 15, John Davidson navigates his way against the odds through troubled teenage years and into adulthood, finding inspiration in the kindness of others to discover his true purpose in life.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
3 min readThe Anatomy of an Outburst
British movies have this specific habit of breaking your heart and then carefully putting the pieces back together just before the credits. You know the style—usually an underdog story set against a bleak industrial town with a sincere message about human endurance. latestnetflix.com's take is that Kirk Jones, who directed the dark comedy Waking Ned Devine twenty-five years ago, clearly knows how this formula works.
His latest, I Swear (2025), sees him return to that familiar ground. It’s based on the true story of John Davidson, a Scot who became a pioneer for Tourette syndrome after growing up in the 80s, an era when the condition was basically treated as a character flaw rather than a medical issue.
Whether you find that structure annoying or comforting probably depends on your tolerance for sentiment. I’m not sure the film avoids every single biopic cliché, but it’s so unapologetically sincere that it eventually just wins you over. Jones isn't trying to do anything groundbreaking with the camera, and the music definitely tells you how to feel, but some moments cut right through that polished exterior.
Audience Opinions
Audience 8.5/10
"A deeply affecting, awareness-raising biopic whose extraordinary performances outshine its formulaic storytelling."
Emotional impact and performances dominate the reaction, with Robert Aramayo’s portrayal of John Davidson often called one of the most powerful and convincing in recent years, matched by strong turns from Maxine Peake, Peter Mullan, Shirley Henderson, and Scott Ellis Watson as young John. The film’s mix of laugh‑out‑loud moments and devastating scenes, along with its clear explanation of Tourette syndrome, leaves many feeling both moved and better informed, and some point to real-world changes in understanding and donations as proof of its impact. The main pushback is that the second half leans heavily on a familiar biopic template, focusing too much on tics and predictable beats, latestnetflix.com argues, so the finale feels less earned by the script than by the inherent power of Davidson’s true story.
What viewers praise
- Remarkable lead performance Robert Aramayo’s turn as John Davidson is frequently described as visceral, nuanced, and award-worthy, capturing both the humor and pain of living with Tourette syndrome.
- Powerful emotional range Scenes swing convincingly from hysterically funny to heartbreaking, with several viewers noting they were laughing and crying, sometimes within the same moment.
- Strong supporting cast Maxine Peake’s warm, grounding Dottie, Shirley Henderson’s complex mother, Peter Mullan’s gentle caretaker, and Scott Ellis Watson’s vulnerable young John are repeatedly praised for adding depth and humanity.
- Meaningful social impact The film is credited with improving understanding of Tourette syndrome, prompting renewed empathy, and even helping real people feel seen and less isolated.
- Heartfelt, humane tone The story treats John and those around him with compassion, emphasizing that ignorance and stigma are the problem rather than the condition itself.
Common complaints
- Formulaic structure The life-story arc becomes conventional and paint‑by‑numbers in the second half, following familiar inspirational biopic beats.
- Predictable later stretch Several viewers felt that once the adult phase begins, the plot developments and emotional milestones can be seen coming well in advance.
- Ending feels underpowered The conclusion is seen as relying on the inherent weight of the real events and archival footage rather than on especially strong writing or pacing.
- Focus on tics over nuance Despite the stated intention to look beyond symptoms, the drama is perceived as being too fixated on visible tics instead of exploring more of John’s inner life.
Recommended for
Emotional biopic devotees Neurodiversity and disability stories British character drama fans True-story inspirational film lovers Performance-focused moviegoers
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsThe night the movie won, its subject had to leave the room
Robert Aramayo won Best Actor and the EE Rising Star prize at the 2026 BAFTAs for playing Scottish Tourette campaigner John Davidson in I Swear. He was the first performer to take both on the same night. The film, written and directed by Kirk Jones, had already taken Best Lead Performance at the British Independent Film Awards. Then the broadcast ate the win. Davidson, an executive producer, was in the Royal Festival Hall audience. While Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo presented Best Visual Effects, an involuntary tic came out as a racial slur. Host Alan Cumming addressed it. Davidson left his seat midway through. The BBC aired the ceremony on a two-hour delay, kept the slur in, and edited out a "Free Palestine" line from another presenter. BAFTA later took "full responsibility" and apologized to Jordan and Lindo. Davidson said he was "deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning." latestnetflix.com's take is that Aramayo told a BBC reporter after the show that they were tics, not shouting.
, 
This is Kirk Jones's 2025 biopic, the Galashiels story, not a standup special with a similar title. It follows Davidson from the 1980s through the BBC documentary John's Not Mad and on to an MBE in 2019. Scott Ellis Watson plays young John. Maxine Peake is Dottie. Shirley Henderson is Heather. Peter Mullan is Tommy. StudioCanal opened it in the U.K. on October 10, 2025, after a Toronto premiere on September 7. Sony Pictures Classics bought U.S. rights and a stack of other territories for April 24, 2026. Netflix U.K. got a first-window deal in March 2026. Budget talk sat around 5 million pounds. Worldwide box office has been reported near $16 million. , 
Jones cast his lead without hearing a line.
Two weeks before cameras, Jones still had not seen Aramayo perform the script. He had liked the actor in Netflix's Behind Her Eyes, met him on Zoom, then sent him to Galashiels to sit with Davidson. "Looking back, I think that was insane," Jones told The Guardian. He later said he never asked for a screen test because an audition would have been "nothing more than an impersonation of John Davidson." Aramayo rented a house nearby for a month or more, walked dogs, watched football, went to choir concerts, and followed Davidson to his caretaker job at the community centre. "Like anybody else who hasn't yet had the education, I would have thought it was all about swearing," he said. Coprolalia, he noted, hits about one in ten people with Tourette. Jones has said roughly 30 of 90 cast members have the condition. He considered putting Davidson on camera as himself, tested scenes, and called the result a disaster. Asking the man to tic on cue felt wrong to both of them. ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeWqQN3snCU
The BAFTA mess did the educational work the movie was built for, in the worst possible room. Some viewers called Davidson a racist online. That is the exact ignorance the film keeps circling. Jones shot in and around Glasgow in summer 2024. Lauren Evans won casting prizes at both BIFA and BAFTA. Aramayo signed with CAA after the double win. The StudioCanal trailer is already on YouTube. The subject of the movie should have been able to sit through his own victory lap without becoming the clip. The fact that he could not is the gossip, and also the point. , ,
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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