All posts tagged: swear

“I Swear” tests our compassion

“I Swear” tests our compassion

It’s remarkably unfortunate that the way most Americans learned about “I Swear,” Kirk Jones’ biographical drama about Tourette syndrome advocate John Davidson, was by the exact kind of unintentional public gaffe the film exists to assuage. While Tourette syndrome has many complex symptoms, “I Swear” focuses largely on coprolalia, a symptom affecting approximately 10% of individuals with Tourette’s and manifests in the involuntary use of obscene language. Throughout the film, Davidson (played with exceptional depth by Robert Aramayo) wrestles with the public’s misunderstanding of his condition, enduring the voluntary violence doled out as a result of his involuntary tics. Though the film can be both overly didactic and schmaltzy, it earnestly attempts to dredge up compassion in the viewer, helping them to understand the nuances of Tourette syndrome as a way of championing both accessibility and acceptance. But earlier this year, Davidson inadvertently found himself and his condition at the center of a media firestorm. While Delroy Lindo and Michael B. Jordan presented an award during February’s BAFTA ceremony, Davidson shouted the N-word, which was …

‘I swear all the way down. Out loud!’

‘I swear all the way down. Out loud!’

Add the Winter Paralympics 2026 to your watchlist He’s one of our strongest hopes for a medal: at this, his third and final Paralympics, 36-year-old snowboarder James Barnes-Miller is focused on a podium place. Could this be the year? He will compete in banked slalom and snowboard cross. The first does what it says on the tin, but the second? “It’s a race track with different obstacles, and big rollers in the snow,” he explains. “Four of you go off at a time. You are hemmed in, racing against other people, and the first two get through to the next round.” Sounds horrendous, frankly. “Nah,” says Barnes-Miller, who became a father for the first time just three months ago. “The worst moment is when you look down the mountain at your practice run. That’s what gets the heart going.” It’s fair to say that snowboarding is associated with an air of privilege but, while Barnes-Miller now lives in Morzine in the French Alps, he grew up in Ramsgate. “My stepdad teaches cooking and my mother …

How to watch I Swear – is it streaming?

How to watch I Swear – is it streaming?

One of the highlights of this year’s BAFTA Film Awards was the surprise best actor win for I Swear star Robert Aramayo – who also won the rising star award at the ceremony at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Although the actor’s performance had been hugely acclaimed, he was expected to be beaten to the prize by one of his starry fellow nominees, most likely Oscar-frontrunner Timothée Chalamet for his turn in Marty Supreme. In fact, during his emotional acceptance speech, even Aramayo himself seemed in total shock. “I absolutely can’t believe this,” he said. “I honestly cannot believe I have won this award. Everyone in this category blows me away.” It proved to be a popular win with both the live audience – not least Aramayo’s jubilant father – and the viewers at home, many of whom had been profoundly moved by the actor’s tremendous performance in I Swear. The film was written and directed by Kirk Jones and sees Aramayo taking on the role of real-life Tourette’s syndrome campaigner John Davidson, who was also …