Story

Young John Davidson (Scott Ellis Watson) starts school at Galashiels Academy in Scotland with a promising future as a soccer star. But John starts to suffer from tics and uncontrollable outbursts of swearing, which get him into trouble at school. The headmaster straps John’s hands with a leather belt, making it hard for John to perform well at soccer, and he’s dropped from the team. His father David (Steven Cree) is greatly disappointed and can’t come to terms with his son’s neurological problems. David leaves the family, which includes John’s mother Heather (Shirley Henderson) and his 3 sisters. John blames himself and decides to end his life by drowning in a river. He’s saved and taken to hospital, where he’s diagnosed with Tourette disorder.

Some years later, John (Robert Aramayo) is still living with his mother. Ashamed and embarrassed by John, she finds him very hard to cope with. John runs into an old school friend, who takes him home to meet his mother Dotty (Maxine Peake), a mental health nurse, who has liver cancer and 6 months to live. Dotty takes John in, and they help each other.

Dotty makes John promise not to apologise for anything that isn’t his fault. She finds him a job as a caretaker’s assistant to Tommy (Peter Mullan), who’s also very understanding. John’s disorder causes him great difficulty, and he often finds himself in fights, in court or in gaol. Tommy encourages John to go out and educate people about his condition, which he’s reluctant to do.

After finding Tommy dead, John decides to honour his friend and sets out to hold public meetings about Tourette disorder. John’s work leads him to achieve an MBE, presented to him at Holyrood by the Queen.

Themes

Tourette disorder; attempted suicide; family breakdown

Violence

I Swear has some violence. For example:

• John is teased at school, and he gets into fights because of his neurological condition.
• A boy punches John in the face. The headmaster straps both boys with a leather belt.
• John involuntarily spits food across the family dinner table.
• John’s parents yell and scream at him.
• John smashes his head into a bathroom wall mirror, injuring himself and breaking the mirror.
• John often hits out at people uncontrollably. He also hits Tommy’s dog.
• John gets into a fight in a pub with several men.
• Two men use a crowbar to beat John badly. They kick him while he’s on the ground.

Sexual references

I Swear has some sexual references, including references to masturbation and semen.

Alcohol, drugs and other substances

I Swear shows some use of substances. For example:

• John and other characters smoke.
• Characters smoke cannabis.
• John thinks he’s dealing in crack cocaine.

Nudity and sexual activity

There’s no nudity or sexual activity in I Swear.

Product placement

There’s no product placement in I Swear.

Coarse language

I Swear has some extremely strong coarse and offensive language, most often used by john because of his Tourette disorder.

Ideas to discuss with your children

I Swear is a biopic about John Davidson, a man who lives with Tourette disorder and refuses to accept he has a disability. He overcomes self-doubt to help others learn about the condition and goes on to win an MBE. The movie is emotional, funny, sad and very well acted.

I Swear has an MA15+classification, which means it isn’t suitable for children aged under 15 years. We also recommend parental guidance for 15-year-olds because of the movie’s themes and language.

I Swear aims to improve understanding of behaviour that’s caused by neurological or other conditions and to send the message that people with these conditions have many strengths and abilities.

Values in I Swear that you could reinforce with your children include compassion, understanding, empathy, acceptance of difference, resilience, and strength to overcome hardship.

I Swear could also give you the chance to talk with your children about the importance of creating neurodiverse-friendly environments for people with neurological and other conditions.