I Swear, based on the life of Tourette Syndrome activist John Davidson, is not a “woe is me” drama. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, the movie walks a tightrope, balancing heartache and frustration with humour and common sense.
The movie begins in the 80s. John is a promising young soccer star who starts displaying signs of Tourette Syndrome. Almost overnight, he goes from being the wonderkid to being the town pariah.
As a child of the 80s, I was reminded of how painfully ignorant society was. No one, not even his mum (who was a nurse), is on his side.
John is reprimanded for clowning around when he initially displays symptoms. It flabbergasted me that no one showed any concern for his physical tics.
In fact, John’s tics seem to make him the punching bag for his parents’ frustrations. When his dad leaves the family, his mum does nothing to assuage his fears that dad left because of him.
I have never been so angry at an on-screen mum. I tried telling myself that this was the 80s but I couldn’t help internally screaming at her.
Kudos to Shirley Henderson for playing the unwitting villain so well. While we know she is not intentionally malicious, her resignation and inaction makes her frustratngly villainous.
Thankfully, life changes when John’s friend’s mum, Dottie (played beautifully by Maxine Peak) decides to take John in. As a mental health nurse, she is acquainted with Tourette’s and makes it her mission to help John live his best life. Even if her methods don’t always produce perfect results, Dottie gets all the bonus points for doing more than John’s parents and school.
I cannot overstate what an important role Dottie is, not just in John’s life, but to audiences. Peak’s Dottie espouses values that we should all strive towards. She is loyal to a fault and advocates tirelessly for John, even to John himself.
It was powerful watching her tell John to never apologise for something he cannot help. When Dottie says that to John, you can see it slowly sink in. He has found his safe place.
Indeed, Robert Aramayo is spectacular as the adult John. He plays the character as an inward soul, carrying the trauma of decades of being socially outcast. He does this so well that I had to check if Aramayo has Tourette’s himself – he doesn’t.
I Swear may offer an authentic insight into living with Tourette’s but it resonates deeply with anyone who has struggled with being different. Even though my only contact with John Davidson was watching this movie, I felt a deep sense of pride watching him receive his MBE for his advocacy work.
My son is too young for I Swear, but he WILL watch this when he is older. I’m considering it an investment towards a kinder world.
I Swear is showing as part of the Russell Hobbs British Film Festival, which runs from 5th November – 7th December.