REVIEW By Aiden Pearce
Meeting the queen is not exactly an everyday activity for most people living in Britain.
So imagine the occasion. You’re being honoured with receiving an MBE from the Queen of England herself.
The room is uncomfortably quiet aside from the various violinists playing God Save The Queen in narcissistic union. Then another sound, the much louder of the two, joins the violins: “F*ck the Queen!”
Well, that was John Davidson’s line in 2019 when collecting his MBE for outstanding work in Tourette syndrome awareness.
I Swear is a brilliantly performed biography based on the life of Scottish Tourette syndrome campaigner John Davidson, written and directed by Kirk Jones.
The two hour film follows the story of his first experiences with Tourette tics at the age of ten in his hometown, Galashiels and the way he was treated. Then finally, his journey of self-acceptance that led to helping others with the condition.
Half an hour into the film, John bumps into endearing old school friend Murray, both in their 30s by this point, and the pair end up catching up over a countryside walk.
Leaving his cold and unloving mother, Davidson joins his friend for family dinner where he finds out Murray’s mum, Dottie, who didn’t have a shred of coldness in her entire body, is dying of cancer.
The sudden friendship between John and Dottie twists the rest of the film to be a journey of warmth and healing, giving John the room to finally be himself and not apologise for it.
Robert Aramayo, who played Davidson, won the Leading Actor BAFTA and Rising Star Award for his role in I Swear.
“What was good was that we all as a cast focused on telling John’s story and that was what we cared about,” he told The Upcoming.
However, Robert was not the only actor that perfected his role so magnificently. He also worked alongside icon Shirley Henderson, who starred as John’s mother Heather, Peter Mullan as John’s boss Tommy Trotter, Maxine Peake as Dottie and new-on-the-scene Scott Ellis Watson as young John.
The soundtrack, editing style and lighting tied the film’s intentional atmosphere together in a perfect bow, playing on the particular emotions of each scene without distracting the eye.
Whether it’s shouting “F*ck the Queen!” or every swear word under the sun, John Davidson certainly has tics, but I Swear will be the film that makes you tick.
I Swear is out now on Netflix.
