I Swear

After Robert Aramayo won the Best Actor BAFTA for his performance as a young man with Tourette syndrome in the movie I Swear, I hoped that it would eventually come to the Broadway.  I was able to see it there last night with my nephew and I found it both funny (which I wasn't expecting) and heartwarming.  John Davidson (Scott Ellis Watson) is a young teen living in Scotland when he suddenly develops tics and episodes of uncontrollable swearing just as he begins high school.  This leads to problems at school, for which he is ultimately expelled, and at home, which causes his father David (Steven Cree) to leave.  Everyone around him believes that he is faking his symptoms for attention and he eventually becomes so distraught that he attempts suicide.  Thirteen years later, John (Aramayo) has been diagnosed with Tourette's, is heavily medicated, and is still living with his exasperated mother Heather (Shirley Henderson) who is embarrassed by him.  His former childhood friend Murray Achenbach (Francesco Piacentini-Smith) invites him home for dinner and, when he predictably causes a scene, his mother Dottie (Maxine Peake), a mental health nurse, decides to take him under her wing.  She invites him to live with her family, slowly weans him off his medication, and finds him a job working at a community center with Tommy Trotter (Peter Mullan).  When an episode at a nightclub leads to a fight for which he is arrested, Tommy speaks passionately on his behalf in court and blames John's problems on a lack of awareness about Tourette's rather than the condition itself.  This inspires John to work to inform schools, hospitals, police departments, and other organizations about how to support individuals with Tourette's which eventually leads to an MBE (in a hilarious scene with the Queen).  This is based on a true story and it features all of the usual biopic tropes but it is anchored by an incredibly authentic performance from Aramayo that kept me riveted.  I also loved Watson's affecting performance, especially when he is forced to eat dinner away from the family.  I loved that Davidson's story is told with humor and an emphasis on the need for understanding.  This is epitomized by my favorite scene in which John meets with a young girl who has Tourette's and they both engage in escalating tics and outbursts (this made me laugh out loud) until they both realize how powerful it is to interact with someone who has the same condition (this brought tears to my eyes).  The best thing I can say about this movie is that it made me empathize more with people who have this condition (especially in light of what happened with Davidson at the BAFTA awards ceremony) and I highly encourage everyone to see it.