It became the movie everyone was talking about after 2026 Baftasand now you are able to stream on Netflix.
I swear received three awards at the 79th Film Awards last month, including Best Cast and Rising Star of EE and leading actors gongs for Robert Aramayo.
of The 33-year-old plays John Davidson in the emotional biopic, which tells the story of his youth in the 1980s Scotlandwhere severe Tourette syndrome was widely misunderstood.
Davidson, now 54, was diagnosed with the neurological condition at the age of 25having developed it at age 12 and with its symptoms including sudden and repetitive movements and vocalizations.
After becoming an activist to raise awareness of Tourette’s, John has already appeared in several BBC documentaries throughout his life, including John’s Not Mad (1989), when he was just 16, which followed him around his hometown as he navigated the condition.
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Then, in 2024, director Kirk Jones announced the production of I Swear, and Aramayo was cast in August, with the director stating that he ‘knew he was right for the part very early on’, meaning he didn’t need to audition.
The biographical drama was released in cinemas last fall.
Throughout, Davidson is harassed, beaten, and at one point arrested as a result of other people not understanding his outbursts.
Alongside Aramayo, cast members include Maxine Peake, who plays Dottie Achenbach, Shirley Henderson as Heather Davidson and Peter Mullan as Tommy Trotter.
Betohem has been widely praised by critics and audiences in recent months, and Netflix confirmed today that it will arrive on the platform on March 10.
It already boasts a glowing 100% score from reviewers Rotten tomatoeswhile its audience score stands at a near-perfect 99%.
Among the reactions, Ben Allen of GQ Magazine says Aramayo describes Davidson’s experiences ‘beautifully’, while Kevin Maher of The Times says his performance is both ‘captivating’ and ‘stunning’.
“I swear is a hugely important and informative watch – and potentially one of the best British films of the year,” says Nicola. Austin of Movie Maker.
“This really is a film where you’ll laugh one minute and feel the tears building the future,” adds RTE’s Harry Guerin.
Audiences further described it as an ‘extraordinary’ watch, with @FilmWatcher1 left ‘crying their eyes out’.
“It’s been a long time since I cried this much over a movie. It’s such a beautiful depiction of such a difficult life,” wrote @Naijadaydreamer.
@Allopac says I swear it taught them ‘so much’ they didn’t know about Tourette’s, and @Raffie believes it ‘should be a compulsory class in all schools all over the world’.
What is Tourette’s?
of NHS explains:
Tourette syndrome is a condition that causes you to make sudden, repetitive sounds or movements (tics). There is no cure, but treatment can help manage tics.
The main symptom of Tourette syndrome is tics. Tics may involve repetitive sounds (vocal tics) or movements (motor tics) that you do not choose to make and cannot control.
Tics involving sounds may include:
- whistling
- sniffing or clearing your throat a lot
- making animal sounds
- repeating a sound, word or phrase
- profanity (this is rare)
Tics involving movement may include:
- eye rolling or blinking
- shrugging
- jerking or jerking movements
- tensing the stomach muscles
- dancing
Speaking at this year’s Baftas about working on the film, Nanny director McPhee Jones said he believes I Swear has been so warmly received because it ‘struck a chord’.
“Maybe five years ago, if we would have done it, we wouldn’t have done it, or maybe five years, but I think we’re in a place in the world right now where everything is so depressing and upsetting, and it’s a very hopeful film, and it’s about a man who never gives up,” he said on the red carpet.
“It’s the kind of film we need right now to remind us of compassion and support for understanding other people.”
After being declared ‘phenomenal’ in his portrayal by the man himself, Aramayo further expressed his gratitude to Davidson after receiving two major trophies, hailing him as ‘the greatest person (he) has ever met’.
Davidson, who was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2019 for his work on the campaign, also told the Press Association that “the power of the film is that it opens people’s eyes to real issues”.
But her Bafta wins did not come without controversy, as during the ceremony, Davidson could be heard shouting and cursing because of his tics. This included shouting ‘f**k’ and using a racial slur when the Sinners stars were on stage.
Baftas host Alan Cumming thanked the audience for their “respect” at the time and apologized for the slurs, reminding people they were out of Davidson’s “control”.
The crowd was also given advance notice of Davidson’s attendance, but the nature of what they might hear was not explained.
Furthermore, his use of the N-word was still included in the BBC broadcast despite the ceremony not being live, which caused widespread backlash and sparked online debate about a duty of care.
The broadcaster subsequently removed the episode from iPlayer, a spokesperson saying: ‘Some viewers may have heard strong and offensive language during the Bafta Film Awards.
“This came from the involuntary verbal tics associated with Tourette syndrome, and as explained during the ceremony, was not intentional.
“We apologize that this was not edited prior to broadcast and will now be removed from the BBC iPlayer version.”
In an interview with DiversityDavidson said the words or statements he said during the tics were “the last thing in the world I believe.”
“The most offensive word I’ve scored at the ceremony, for example, is a word I would never use and totally condemn if I didn’t have Tourette’s,” he said.
Speaking about living with the condition, Davidson explained that it can be ‘distressing’ and that people can face ‘discrimination and isolation as a result’.
“When socially unacceptable words come out, the guilt and shame on the part of the person with this condition is often unbearable and causes great distress. I can’t begin to explain how upset and worried I have been as the impact of Sunday sinks in,” he continued.
“I want people to know and understand that my tics have absolutely nothing to do with what I think, feel or believe. It’s an involuntary neurological error. My tics are not a goal, not a choice, and not a reflection of my values.’
Tourettes Action released its own response subwaytelling us that tics are not ‘a reflection of a person’s beliefs, intentions or character’.
“People with Tourette’s can say words or phrases they don’t mean, don’t support, and feel great distress afterwards. These symptoms are neurological, not intentional, and they’re something that John – like many others with Tourette’s – lives with every day,” said a spokesperson.
The organization has urged people to watch I Swear to understand the “isolation, misunderstanding and emotional weight that often accompanies this condition”.
I Swear is now streaming on Netflix.
A version of this article was originally published on February 23, 2025.
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