This crowd favourite from IFFR turns a difficult life story into something warm, funny, and deeply human. It is the kind of film that can make you laugh, wince, and quietly re-evaluate how society treats people it does not understand.
Film details
- Title: I Swear
- Premiere date: 26 March 2026 in Rotterdam screenings shown here.
- Director: Kirk Jones.
- Runtime: 120 min.
- Theatres and URLs: KINO • Cinerama • LantarenVenster
- Plot / synopsis: I Swear tells the true story of John Davidson, a boy from a small Scottish town who grows up with Tourette syndrome at a time when almost nobody around him understands what that means. His tics, outbursts and uncontrollable impulses make him a target for bullying, violence and exclusion. As he gets older, shame and loneliness begin to close in. Then an unexpected connection changes his life, helping him find purpose, self-belief and a way to be fully himself.
- Language & subtitles: English spoken, Dutch subtitled.
- Age rating: 12.
- Notable visual / thematic hooks: 1980s Scotland, Tourette awareness, family strain, humour under pressure, friendship and community, true-story uplift.
What’s the vibe?
It is honest without turning bleak, and emotional without getting syrupy. Think kitchen-sink realism with a lively, funny streak, plus the kind of audience-pleasing warmth that explains why festival viewers took to it so strongly.
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Trailer
Check out the trailer below.
Why you might like it
- Eyes: a grounded period setting that keeps everything close to the characters rather than dressing the story up too much.
- Heart: Robert Aramayo’s performance is the centre of gravity here, giving John both vulnerability and swagger.
- Mind: the film does more than tell one man’s story. It quietly pushes questions about ignorance, stigma, education, and what acceptance really looks like.
Critical reception
Critics have responded very well. Rotten Tomatoes highlights a critics’ consensus praising the film’s balance of prickliness and sweetness, and singles out Robert Aramayo’s performance as a knockout.
The film has also picked up serious awards momentum. It won the IFFR Audience Award, and multiple cinema listings note that it went on to win three BAFTAs, including Best Actor for Aramayo. The Guardian also singled out Aramayo’s BAFTA win as one of the feel-good moments of the ceremony.
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Scene to watch for
Watch how the film handles the first stretch where John’s world starts shifting from “promising” to “suddenly hostile”. It is the point where the film shows its hand: this story will not soften reality, but it also will not leave its main character trapped there.
Recommended pairing
Go for something simple and comforting before the screening, then a tea or hot chocolate afterwards while you decompress. This is also one of those films that pairs well with a proper post-film chat rather than a quick “yeah, good film” and home.
Need-to-knows
- The film is based on the real life of John Davidson, who became a prominent public voice around Tourette syndrome.
- LantarenVenster also lists a Film & Paasontbijt screening later in its run.
