Coming to Irish cinemas is I Swear. This film is based on the real-life struggles of John Davidson, a man from Scotland who suffers from tourette syndrome. Starring Robert Aramayo as John, this film follows John from his youth all the way up to the present day.
I Swear is an endearing film. This is down to the love audiences have for the underdog story, especially when the underdog in question is someone so charming and affable as John. From his youth as a talented football player, John was set up for a life of adventure. However, life had other plans for the youth.
Playing young John is Scott Ellis Watson, who brings a strong presence to the character. Watching his deterioration from a young devil may care individual as the tourettes begins to take over his life is an incredible transformation. Seeing how this breaks John down is an emotional affair, and Scott is a brilliant talent. There is a particular scene where he is by himself, and he carries so much weight and emotion within this one scene. It’s an emotionally intense scene for someone so young, and yet he pulls it off.
Spunk for milk
When the film transitions to Robert Aramayo as John, we find him having found a kind of balance. There are scars now, having lived with tourettes for thirteen years, both physical and emotional. The condition has taken its toll on him and his family, and though he is still a person with a lot of charm, he is almost constantly apologising for his actions, even though they are out of his control. Aramayo gives John an infectious charm, the kind that makes you want to go up and strike up a conversation, because you know he wants to, but his condition holds him back.
On top of that is his mother, Heather, played by Shirley Henderson. Though she has stuck by him through all this, she is hardly the understanding parental figure you’d hope she would be. She puts up with him, like you would an annoying pet. Director and writer Kirk Jones straddles the line of Heather being an outright monster and a long-suffering mother well. She loves her son, but she was never equipped for this kind of life, and you feel it in Henderson’s strained performance.
It’s not all doom and gloom, as there are several people throughout I Swear that help John. Maxine Peake plays Dottie, the mother of a childhood friend of John’s. She is the mother he needed, helping him weather this disease. She’s in his corner from the moment they meet. There is also Tommy Trotter, played by Peter Mullan. He is an excellent source of comedy and camaraderie throughout I Swear.
I’ve got two aces
If I had to say there were any issues with I Swear, it would be that the film lives and dies on its actors and their performances. Though Kirk Jones has written and directed a decent narrative, it plays a lot of the same notes that every other biopic out there has done before. When certain characters are introduced, you know their fates. When John enters a scenario, you know what the likely outcome is going to be, especially when he discusses not going to social events. At its worst, it feels played out and play by numbers.
This is me at my most curmudgeonly, however. I Swear is a brilliant film with a fantastic cast at its core, telling a story about understanding in a time we desperately need it.
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