'I Swear': This generation's 'Billy Elliot' needs to be seen by the masses ★★★★★

Every once in a while, a British film comes along that deserves to be a smash. Billy Elliot, Notting Hill, The Full Monty are among them. Now there's a new one to add to the list, 'I Swear', which is one of the films of 2025, albeit an understated one.I Swear tells the true life story of John Davidson. Diagnosed with Tourette's at 15, targeted as 'insane' by his peers, he struggled with a condition few had witnessed. Campaigning for better understanding and acceptance of the condition of Tourette's as an adult, he finds his life's purpose and accepted his MBE from the Queen in 2019.https://youtu.be/oeWqQN3snCU?si=T_AqBNOQqFdnelfVAll of the cast are faultless. Robert Aramayo, Shirley Henderson, Maxine Peake, Peter Mullan are all perfectly cast and bring so much warmth and humanity to this story.We were in tears about 60 seconds in, and didn't stop shedding them until the end. But don't get us wrong, it's also genuinely hilarious, gripping and inspirational.A timely reminder of mental health conditions, it's the kind of film you'll come out watching and say "everyone needs to watch that". John's condition could actually be anything - depression, ADHD, Autism, anxiety, ... his character and the way people treat him will be relatable to so many of us. But the fact it's tourettes will only serve the condition well, educating anybody who watches it on what it's like to live with, both for the individual and the people around.Robert Aramayo (John) deserves awards.It's a compassionate, moving and truly funny film and we can't recommend it enough.I Swear is playing now in VUE cinemas. Book now.Our rating: ★★★★★