Our rating
The critically-acclaimed movie “I Swear” made us cry, laugh and then cry some more. John Davidson’s Tourette’s began in the 1970s and changed, but how faithful was it to the actual story of John Davidson?
The major biographical facts of John Davidson’s life are handled with genuine care. From the early onset of symptoms, the institutional failures of his school, his father’s departure, his suicide attempt, to his gradual evolution from isolated young man to community advocate were all treated with the seriousness they deserve.
The film’s recreation of Davidson’s MBE ceremony, in which he involuntarily shouts an expletive at the Queen, is drawn directly from documented accounts. Even the University of Nottingham wrist device trial that closes the film reflects real, ongoing developments in Tourette’s treatment research.
These were not the choices of a production cutting corners. They were the choices of one who did their homework and respected the stories they were telling on screen.
Robert Aramayo’s three-month immersion in Davidson’s life in Galashiels pays obvious dividends. Aramayo spent three months, fully methodically, in Galashiels, living with Davidson, putting himself directly in his shoes. It paid dividends. His physical performance was particular and dedicated, so much so that it led to him winning a BAFTA for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Though it wasn’t filmed in Galashiels, the movie captured the essence of Scotland in the eighties impeccably. From filming locations in Glaswegian suburbs to the distinct fashion and hair of that era, they immersed the audience in this world.
It’s true that the BBC documentaries that shaped Davidson’s public profile are absent from the narrative, appearing only in end-credit footage; this doesn’t act to distort history, it’s a genuine dramatic decision.
What the film never fictionalises is the emotional truth of Davidson’s experience. It doesn’t hide from the loneliness, the misunderstanding and the institutional cruelty that came from all of it, yet it also celebrates the hard-won purpose that emerged as well.
