OBSERVER: I Swear
Written and directed by Kirk Jones, I Swear is a bittersweet, feel-good portrait that tells the true story of John Davidson (Robert Aramayo).
Set in Galashiels in the Scottish borderlands, Davidson’s life is turned upside down with the onset of Tourette’s syndrome at age 14, a little-known neurological condition in 1980s Scotland.
A promising goalie, an audition with a football scout goes awry when John cannot control his tics, precipitating a downhill spiral of heartbreaking prejudice and misunderstanding.
Fast forward to his twenties, and John is unemployed and living at home with his long-suffering, single mother, Heather (Shirley Henderson).
“What’s all this nonsense?” she tells her son.
Her solution to John’s condition is to “Have a hot bath and an early night.”
Lonely, miserable, and often the recipient of beatings due to his random verbal tics, John is at his lowest point.
A chance meeting with an old school friend, Murray (Francesco Piacentini-Smith), changes John’s life.
Murray’s mother, Dottie (Maxine Peake), a mental health nurse, takes John under her wing, inviting him to live with the family and finding him a job.
Inspired by his boss, Tommy (Peter Mullan), John becomes a role model for others with Tourette’s, starting a support group and educating the public.
The surreal nature of the tics and the involuntary outbursts of swearing make for some darkly comic moments.
In one memorable scene, John meets a young woman (Andrea Bissett) to discuss her Tourette’s and ends up in a cursing contest.
In her real life, Bissett is also an advocate for people with Tourette’s.
Ellis Watson delivers an excellent performance as the young John, navigating the confusion and perplexity of his condition.
But it is Aramayo who stands out as the happy-go-lucky, elder John, trying to make sense of what the universe has thrown him.
Released November 5 in Australian cinemas
palacecinemas.com.au
Review by Kathryn Keeble