Movie on Tourette’s Activist Gets 100% on RT After BAFTAs Win & Controversy

I Swear, the biographical drama about Tourette’s syndrome campaigner John Davidson, has achieved a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes and received great reviews. This follows its multiple BAFTA wins and a television incident involving the real-life Davidson at the awards ceremony.

What critics are saying about I Swear in reviews

Critics have praised I Swear’s balanced approach to its subject in their reviews. Clarisse Loughrey from The Independent (UK) wrote in her I Swear review, “I Swear happily adheres to the British cinematic tradition of small town underdog stories, without ever hijacking and streamlining Davidson’s experiences to maximise its ‘feel-good’ credentials.”

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called it “an absorbing, compassionate film.” Catherine Bray from Variety noted, “The film wrestles enthusiastically and mostly successfully with the potential pitfalls of making a funny yet respectful project about a condition that sometimes lends itself to laughter, even as it wreaks havoc with Davidson’s life in serious ways.”

Tim Robey from The Daily Telegraph (UK) praised the cast handling and wrote, “The writer-director, Kirk Jones… has sculpted this to provide an education – it’s unflashy directing with an ordinary look, and a few clichés in tow. But his handling of the cast is top-to-bottom impeccable.”

I Swear draws a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes

I Swear currently holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Directed by Kirk Jones, the film follows Davidson’s life after he developed tics during his school years in 1980s Britain.

At a time when public understanding of Tourette’s was minimal, he found support from mental health nurse Dottie Achenbach (Maxine Peake) and community center caretaker Tommy Trotter (Peter Mullan). Lead actor Robert Aramayo won Best Leading Actor at the 2026 BAFTAs for his role. The film received five nominations overall and also won Best Casting.

The film’s success comes alongside renewed attention on Davidson himself. The activist, awarded an MBE in 2019, was heard unintentionally yelling a slur as a tic during the BAFTAs while Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were on stage. The film was released initially in the U.K. in October 2025.

Source: Comingsoon.net