(Photo Credit: Sony Pictures Classics)
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(“I Swear” trailer courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics)
Many casual moviegoers probably would not have heard about “I Swear” if not for John Davidson’s N-word outburst directed towards Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo at the 2026 BAFTA Awards.
Many in Black America had very little empathy for Davidson and even less for the BAFTA Awards because, in many people’s opinion, a decent apology did not come immediately.
However, “I Swear” should help novices better understand Tourette’s Syndrome, even if it still angers people that an apology from Davidson did not come immediately after the incident.
In “I Swear,” young John (Scott Ellis Watson) is a boy with much potential.
He is a talented soccer goalie.
John holds down a job as a newspaper delivery boy.
The young lad is respectful to his elders.
And it seems that everyone in his community knows him and respects him.
Young John has a way with the fair sex as well, because his pockets stay fat from his newspaper delivery job.
But as soon as he begins to blossom in life with soccer scouts coming to see him play, a new school, and a potential girlfriend, he begins experiencing unexplained ticks and outbursts.
When John needs his family and community the most, however, he receives criticism instead.
His father, David Davidson (Steven Cree), chastises him.
John’s principal believes that his so-called condition is made up.
His crush and her mother are appalled when John requests fellatio at the movie theater.
Imagine that.
And his family ends up in disarray because of the stress that his behavior causes.
In “I Swear,” John has a good relationship with his mother.
But even his mother, Heather Davidson (Shirley Henderson), seems fed up with his condition.
When in public, he insults strangers.
In “I Swear,” John causes others physical pain by lashing out at them on the spur of the moment.
John’s mother wants him to always apologize to strangers when he says something to them that is insulting.
But his mother never really apologizes to John for not accepting that he cannot control his behavior.
However, when John runs into an old mate named Maury, his life slowly begins to change for the better.
Instead of being tied to his mother’s hip, John’s friendship with Maury allows him to hang out with a peer who does not judge him.
In “I Swear,” Maury knows a little bit about health challenges that a person cannot defeat because doctors have diagnosed his mother with a fatal form of cancer.
Doctors have given Maury’s mother, Dottie, six months to live, a fact that John cannot keep to himself when he first meets Dottie.
As his mother instructs him, John apologizes for his verbal and physical outbursts.
But Dottie refuses to allow him to apologize when he is with them.
She understands him apologizing to strangers.
But not when John is with loved ones who truly care for him.
In fact, Dottie suggests that John move in with her family permanently and look for a job because his condition seems more manageable when he keeps busy.
But how can John have a successful job interview if he shouts out insults to the interviewer?
John (Robert Aramayo) simply needs a potential employer who understands his condition and supports him, nonetheless.
But John gets more than a supportive boss in Tommy Trotter (Peter Mullan)
He gets someone who sees purpose in John.
And that purpose is to educate people about Tourette’s syndrome.
Despite the serious subject matter in “I Swear,” some of John’s outbursts are laugh-out-loud funny.
When John has a run-in with the police, he quotes a popular song from the rap group N.W.A.
He even drops the same F-bomb in the presence of the queen.
While “I Swear” will educate people about Tourette’s syndrome and make people understand his N-word outburst, it will still infuriate people because John is encouraged to apologize to strangers for his outbursts.
However, Lindo and Jordan initially got an excuse or an explanation, not a heartfelt apology from Davidson or the BAFTA Awards.
Nevertheless, “I Swear” does create empathy for people struggling with Tourette’s syndrome.
It also provides hope for those coming to peace with their diagnosis.
While many people might not relate to Tourette’s, many people know about family members with incurable conditions.
Talk to a few people, and a person might hear stories of how their normal child began acting abnormally as they got older.
A child is blessed if they have parents who believe them when they tell them that something is wrong.
And they are extremely blessed if they have parents who do not write them off as if they are embarrassed about their child’s medical or psychological condition, which is often beyond their control.
Children experiencing health and psychological changes need loving and firm parents.
A parent or loved one must understand that their loved one has a condition that they cannot always control, especially without medication.
But just because they cannot control their issue, does not mean that their issue must control their lives.
Potential embarrassment should not stop them from working or pursuing a healthy social life.
In fact, pursuing a holistic life might change their health prospects.
And finding people with similar conditions might even provide them with a community of understanding people that helps them even more.
If only the BAFTA community had exhibited the same level of understanding to Jordan, Lindo and all the people hurt by the N-word episode.
REGAL RATINGS
FOUR CROWNS=EXCELLENT
THREE CROWNS=GOOD
TWO CROWNS=AVERAGE
ONE CROWN=POOR
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