I Swear (film)
Updated: 5/24/2026, 7:02:01 PM Wikipedia source
I Swear is a 2025 British biographical comedy-drama film directed, written, and produced by Kirk Jones. It is based on the true life story of John Davidson, a Scottish man with severe Tourette syndrome who was the subject of the 1989 television documentary John's Not Mad. The film stars Robert Aramayo as Davidson, alongside Maxine Peake, Shirley Henderson, and Peter Mullan in supporting roles. Scott Ellis Watson makes his acting debut as a young Davidson. I Swear premiered at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2025, and was released in the United Kingdom by StudioCanal on 10 October 2025. It was acclaimed by critics, who praised the performances of Aramayo and Mullan. The film received five nominations at the 79th British Academy Film Awards, winning two, including Best Actor in a Leading Role for Aramayo.
Infobox
Directed by
Kirk Jones
Written by
Kirk Jones
Produced by
Georgia Bayliff Kirk Jones Piers Tempest
Starring
Robert Aramayo Maxine Peake Shirley Henderson Scott Ellis Watson Peter Mullan
Cinematography
James Blann
Edited by
Sam Sneade
Music by
Stephen Rennicks
Production companies
Tempo Productions One Story High
Distributed by
StudioCanal
Release dates
7 September 2025 (2025-09-07) (TIFF) 10 October 2025 (2025-10-10) (United Kingdom)
Running time
120 minutes
Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
Budget
£5 million
Box office
$15 million
Tables
· Reception › Accolades
British Independent Film Awards
British Independent Film Awards
Award / Festival
British Independent Film Awards
Date of ceremony
30 November 2025
Category
Best British Independent Film
Recipient(s)
Kirk Jones, Georgia Bayliff and Piers Tempest
Result
Nominated
Best Director
Best Director
Award / Festival
Best Director
Date of ceremony
Kirk Jones
Category
Nominated
Best Lead Performance
Best Lead Performance
Award / Festival
Best Lead Performance
Date of ceremony
Robert Aramayo
Category
Won
Best Supporting Performance
Best Supporting Performance
Award / Festival
Best Supporting Performance
Date of ceremony
Peter Mullan
Category
Nominated
Maxine Peake
Maxine Peake
Award / Festival
Maxine Peake
Date of ceremony
Nominated
Scott Ellis Watson
Scott Ellis Watson
Award / Festival
Scott Ellis Watson
Date of ceremony
Nominated
Breakthrough Performance
Breakthrough Performance
Award / Festival
Breakthrough Performance
Date of ceremony
Nominated
Best Screenplay
Best Screenplay
Award / Festival
Best Screenplay
Date of ceremony
Kirk Jones
Category
Nominated
Best Casting
Best Casting
Award / Festival
Best Casting
Date of ceremony
Lauren Evans
Category
Won
British Academy of Film Awards
British Academy of Film Awards
Award / Festival
British Academy of Film Awards
Date of ceremony
22 February 2026
Category
Outstanding British Film
Recipient(s)
Kirk Jones, Georgia Bayliff, and Piers Tempest
Result
Nominated
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Award / Festival
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Date of ceremony
Robert Aramayo
Category
Won
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Award / Festival
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Date of ceremony
Peter Mullan
Category
Nominated
Best Casting
Best Casting
Award / Festival
Best Casting
Date of ceremony
Lauren Evans
Category
Won
Best Original Screenplay
Best Original Screenplay
Award / Festival
Best Original Screenplay
Date of ceremony
Kirk Jones
Category
Nominated
National Film Awards UK
National Film Awards UK
Award / Festival
National Film Awards UK
Date of ceremony
1 July 2026
Category
Best Drama
Recipient(s)
Steve
Result
Pending
Best British Film
Best British Film
Award / Festival
Best British Film
Date of ceremony
Steve
Category
Pending
Outstanding Performance
Outstanding Performance
Award / Festival
Outstanding Performance
Date of ceremony
Robert Aramayo
Category
Pending
| Award / Festival | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
| British Independent Film Awards | 30 November 2025 | Best British Independent Film | Kirk Jones, Georgia Bayliff and Piers Tempest | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Kirk Jones | Nominated | |||
| Best Lead Performance | Robert Aramayo | Won | |||
| Best Supporting Performance | Peter Mullan | Nominated | |||
| Maxine Peake | Nominated | ||||
| Scott Ellis Watson | Nominated | ||||
| Breakthrough Performance | Nominated | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Kirk Jones | Nominated | |||
| Best Casting | Lauren Evans | Won | |||
| British Academy of Film Awards | 22 February 2026 | Outstanding British Film | Kirk Jones, Georgia Bayliff, and Piers Tempest | Nominated | |
| Best Actor in a Leading Role | Robert Aramayo | Won | |||
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Peter Mullan | Nominated | |||
| Best Casting | Lauren Evans | Won | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Kirk Jones | Nominated | |||
| National Film Awards UK | 1 July 2026 | Best Drama | Steve | Pending | |
| Best British Film | Steve | Pending | |||
| Outstanding Performance | Robert Aramayo | Pending |
References
- I Swearhttps://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/i-swear-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmdi2mzcz
- The Sunday Timeshttps://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/i-swear-baftas-john-davidson-tldjw8s6f#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIt%2520obviously%2520put%2520a%2520lot,copious%2520involuntary%2520movements%2520and%2520swearing.
- Deadline Hollywoodhttps://deadline.com/2025/10/i-swear-kirk-tourette-syndrome-campaigner-global-breakouts-1236593919/
- Box Office Mojohttps://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1122992129/weekend/
- BBC Newshttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2n9709g0go
- Varietyhttps://variety.com/2024/film/global/robert-aramayo-kirk-jones-tourettes-biopic-i-swear-john-davidson-1236119362/
- JoBlohttps://www.joblo.com/no-way-off-maria-bakalova-thriller/
- Daily Recordhttps://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/swear-filmmaker-never-asked-robert-36763547
- wwwhttps://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-national-scotland/20260223/281754160793246
- Screenhttps://www.screendaily.com/features/why-authenticity-was-a-top-priority-for-the-uk-team-behind-tourette-syndrome-biopic-i-swear/5208624.article
- Screen Scotlandhttps://www.screen.scot/film-in-scotland/made-in-scotland/film/i-swear
- Falkirk Heraldhttps://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/news/people/bafta-success-for-scottish-film-featuring-boness-cinema-in-starring-role-5607571
- Irvine Timeshttps://www.irvinetimes.com/news/national/25876778.everything-need-know-bafta-winning-film-swear/
- Deadlinehttps://deadline.com/2025/02/tourettes-film-robert-aramayo-maxine-peake-sells-studiocanal-wild-bunch-1236286066/
- Anthony D'Alessandro, "TIFF Centrepiece Section Counts 55 Titles Including Pics Starring Shailene Woodley, Ethan Hawke,https://deadline.com/2025/08/tiff-2025-centrepiece-lineup-shailene-woodley-ethan-hawke-1236478780/
- Screen Dailyhttps://www.screendaily.com/news/uk-ireland-film-cinema-release-dates-latest-updates-for-2025/5200243.article
- Deadline Hollywoodhttps://deadline.com/2025/10/sony-pictures-classics-us-tourette-biopic-i-swear-1236596363/
- What's on Netflixhttps://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/i-swear-lands-netflix-uk-streaming-debut-us-release-set-to-follow-in-late-2026/
- I Swearhttps://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_swear_2025
- I Swearhttps://www.metacritic.com/movie/i-swear/