Some years ago we heard that a member of Meghan and Harry’s staff had been shouting ‘Arse!’ to their face plus far worse (or better depending on your point of view). Claiming to have Tourette’s Syndrome he was still fired and yet by some divine miracle as soon as he left their employ he found himself immediately cured. ‘I Swear’ starts in similar style with John Davidson (Robert Aramayo) about to be awarded an MBE from the late Queen Elizabeth but in the midst of the silent hall in her presence he blurts out, ‘F**k the Queen’ in a scene that will become a meme to be treasured by Meghan Markle. This 2019 set scene opens the film and then rewinds back to 1983 where John is a schoolboy where he has not yet succumbed to Tourette’s syndrome and like just about everyone at the time was not even aware of such a condition.
Living with his working class parents and 3 siblings his school days are much as might be expected for an average schoolboy. John already is showing potential as a goal keeper that has prompted a talent scout to attend a match. But before then he slowly succumbs to the condition with involuntary sweary outbursts at inopportune moments both in school and at home and soon finds himself constantly in the headmasters office on the receving end of corporal punishment and his mother (Shirley Henderson) confining him to eat his meals in front of the fire rather than at the table because of his propensity for spitting.
It’s the end of his footballing prospects and his mother now divorced from an uninterested father and his friends distancing themselves from him. Except one friend who invites him round for dinner at his parent’s house where his mother Dottie (Maxine Peake) an ex psychiatric nurse but now with a terminal cancer who sees beyond the surface and welcomes him and quickly he moves in with the family. The stability helps him get a job as an assistant caretaker to Tommy (Peter Mullan) and as his condition gains recognition he becomes a counsellor leads him to the MBE in that opening scene
I Swear has a perfect amalgamation of performances and Aramayo humanizes John beyond a series of tics and outbursts and is ably supported by the always excellent Mullan and Peake. Written and directed by Kirk Jones, who has form for these kind of heartwarming projects, his script has moments to make you gasp or laugh out loud and often both at the same time and feeling a little guilty as doing so – one particular scene sees John counselling another Tourette’s sufferer in a car that sees their conversation degenerate into all out abuse not seen since Keir Starmer tried to make a speech that mentions Nigel Farage – but the film is balanced out with several sympathetic scenes. There’s excellent use of music of the time that’s both appropriate and apt using tracks like Paul Wellers’ ‘Changing Man’, Supergrass’ ‘Alright’ Portishead’s ‘Sour times’, Oasis’, ‘Stop Crying your heart out’ and Primal Scream’s ‘Moving on up’.
I Swear is surely destined to be one of those break out British films that does stellar business and it deserves to be seen because it is both life affirming and uplifting.
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related feature : ‘The Mountain Within Me’ – former rugby player Ed Jackson talks triumph over tragedy
Here’s the I Swear trailer……
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