I Swear

'I Swear' is a touching and humorous tale about finding the courage to be oneself. A film about how stigma limits and acceptance liberates — but also about finding the courage to be yourself in a world that wants you to fit in.

As a teenager, Scottish John Davidson gets Tourette's syndrome and the involuntary tics and outbursts that make it almost impossible to fit into a society where the diagnosis is as yet poorly understood. He is punished at school, met with suspicion and finds it difficult to find work. But as he meets people who both understand Tourette's and see the man behind the diagnosis, he slowly begins to find his own way.

It is a film that dares to be funny in the midst of seriousness and lets the embarrassing, absurd and painful situations coexist.

Film magazine Ekko gave the film five stars, calling it “one of the most honest, hilarious and moving films of the year"—highlighting actor Robert Aramayo's portrait of the adult John's irrepressibility and good-naturedness.

Stay seated during the credits: This is where the real-life John Davidson appears, and the film lets us meet the man behind the story.

Directed by: Kirk Jones
Starring: Robert Aramayo, Maxine Peake, Somerled Campbell
Country/year: United Kingdom, 2025
Running time: 120 min.
Formato: DCP
Language: Danish subtitles
Age limit: Allowed for children over 11

Part of the series: Don't Fear the Weird 2026
Cinematek is again this year at the centre of the Don't Fear the Weird festival, where films, conversations and community come together. Throughout the festival days, we invite the audience inside for a series of film experiences that explore psychological vulnerability, community, identity and being human in different ways.