I Swear

In 1983 twelve-year-old John Davidson develops unexplained tics and uncontrollable swearing. The football ambition ends, school becomes impossible and the family wears down. Decades later the same man is running Tourette awareness workshops and has been recognised with an MBE. Kirk Jones directed. The source is real: John Davidson became known through the 1989 documentary John's Not Mad. Robert Aramayo plays the adult John, with Maxine Peake, Shirley Henderson and Peter Mullan in the cast. Scott Ellis Watson plays the young John in his first acting role. Stephen Rennicks wrote the score. It premiered at the 2025 Toronto Film Festival and opened in the UK on 10 October 2025, grossing 16 million dollars. Ninety-seven percent of 134 Rotten Tomatoes reviews are positive with a 7.9 average. Variety called Aramayo's performance flawless. At the 79th British Academy Film Awards it won Best Actor and Best Casting, from five nominations in total, and took several British Independent Film Awards. Who it is for: viewers who like true stories and British social drama. Who it is not for: anyone expecting an easy miracle. The condition does not go away; what changes is how the people around him see it.