Six weeks ago, I watched, I Swear, after hearing about it on a round up of movies from 2025.  There weren’t a lot of great movies, but the reviewer mentioned it as an impressive movie that didn’t get much buzz.

It’s based on the life of John Davidson, a Scottish guy who developed Tourette’s syndrome when he was about 14 years old.  It’s one of those movies that makes you think, holy shit, that’s about the worst thing that could happen to a person.

Davidson portrayed as a good kid.  He is mature, respectful, does okay in school, and shows some skill as a soccer goalie.  Once the Tourette’s starts, he’s fucked.  Everybody thinks it’s teenage rebellion, drugs or he’s just an asshole.  He doesn’t know what’s going on.

The verbal outbursts get him beat up a lot and kicked out of school.  Doctors have no ideas, so Mom keeps him in the house, isolated from other people.  As he gets older, he is prescribed psych medication and tries to become more independent.  The verbal outbursts get him in trouble with cops and almost beat to death by tough guys.

Davidson meets a few people who actually help, and he lands a maintenance job.  His mission in life become raising awareness of Tourette’s in the UK.  In 2019, he was awarded the prestigious Order of the British Empire.  At the ceremony, he said, “Fuck the Queen” to Queen Elizabeth, but she was aware of his condition, and shrugged it off.

I Swear is very well done.  It isn’t overly sentimental or sensationalized.  Everybody is portrayed as doing the best they can dealing with something that nobody understands.  For the genre, I’d give it a 9/10.

Many people in the US seem unaware of Tourette’s syndrome.  Maybe from teaching, I had a general idea, but no direct experience.  What makes it so pernicious is that the person’s subconscious compels them to say whatever is most objectionable for the situation.  Other people interpret the behavior as the person is being an asshole or trying to start a fight.

A person with Tourette’s has no ability to control the outburst, and there may be other symptoms like jerky movements or spasms.

Here’s where the story takes a strange twist.

I Swear is an impressive movie, and was nominated for several BAFTA awards.  That’s the British version of the Academy Awards.  John Davidson is known in the UK, and the UK has been raising awareness of disabilities. 

In several British shows that I’ve followed, Dr. Who, Taskmaster and Top Gear, people with disabilities, physical and mental, are featured as characters or contestants.

John Davidson was invited to the BAFTA award ceremony.  Participants were given some notice of his attendance and the possibility of outbursts.  Apparently some didn’t fully appreciate the warning.

Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, both from the movie, Sinners,  were presenting an award when Davidson yelled out, “N*gg*rs, shut the fuck up.”  They are professionals, so acted as if they hadn’t heard it.  Which is what should be done when dealing with Tourette’s.

The big problem was that the BBC did not edit that out, and distributed the BAFTA award ceremony with the outburst included.  Social media took care of the rest.  Many people, mostly Americans, have been giving Davidson a rash of shit for something he can’t change and has caused him great suffering.

One irony is that the movie, Sinners, takes place in the Mississippi Delta in 1932, a time and place where Black folks suffered for a personal attribute they could not change.  Davidson’s situation is not so different.

Davidson’s defenders should insist that people watch, I Swear, before condemning him.  Since ignorant people are the target audience for social media, that would never happen.