Rings of Power star Robert Aramayo delivers a star-making turn in I Swear, and your cinema year will be the poorer if you don't find the time for it - no matter how much stuff you've sat down to watch in 2025 already.
This gem of a biopic tells the story of Tourette's campaigner John Davidson over 36 years; from the time his symptoms first appeared as a youngster in Scotland to when he was honoured with an MBE in 2019. Along the way, there is shocking heartache and bewilderment but also huge amounts of kindness and humour too. This really is a film where you'll be laughing one minute and feel tears building the next.
It's written and directed by Waking Ned and Nanny McPhee director Kirk Jones, who proves to have the perfect eye and ear for bringing Davidson's life to the screen in all its tough and tender truth. Behind the lens, the former TV ad man has made his best film, almost 30 years into his feature career.
And in front of the camera, Jones has struck gold in his casting of Aramayo, an actor so determined to do justice to Davidson that he moved to his native Galashiels before filming began. Aramayo's work here is worthy of an Oscar nomination, but that seems like a long shot. However, the Yorkshireman has to be a serious contender for the BAFTA for Lead Actor in his native UK. Co-stars Maxine Peake, Shirley Henderson, and Peter Mullan, playing Davidson's shining light, mother, and boss, respectively; all deserve recognition also.
If you love, say, Local Hero, Billy Eliot, or Looking for Eric, I Swear deserves its place in their company. Just like them, you'll be watching this one again. (PS: If you're thinking about bringing an elderly relative, the language is something else.)
