I BLINK. I TWITCH. I JUMP. I CLICK. I WHISTLE. I SHOUT.

Much like the biography that it’s based on, this drama is a moving portrait of a person going through an unusual mental crisis, but also an opportunity to educate the public on what it’s like to live with Tourette syndrome; John Davidson receiving an MBE from Queen Elizabeth II makes for a memorable opening scene.

The film takes us through John’s tortuous journey and Robert Aramayo really conveys the physical exhaustion of Tourette; much of it is unavoidably funny at times, but the pain is always there.

A tragic story in many ways, but still offers hope for the future. Maxine Peake and Peter Mullan lend excellent support.

2025-U.K. 120 min. Color. Written and directed by Kirk Jones. Book: John Davidson. Cast: Robert Aramayo (John Davidson), Maxine Peake (Dottie Achenbach), Shirley Henderson (Heather Davidson), Peter Mullan, David Carlyle, Steven Cree. 

BAFTA: Best Actor (Aramayo), Casting. 

Last word: “We didn’t shoot in Galashiels, but I’d take a picture, I’d send it to John, I’d say, can you call me? I’d say, does that look like Galashiels to you? And he’d say, yes or no. So even in locations, I was consulting with John, but he wasn’t on set. He visited a couple of times, but those were days when Rob wasn’t working. I don’t think anyone felt that it was a good idea, including John, by the way, for John and Rob to be present together. So he didn’t, he wasn’t on set every day. Then I showed him the final cut. I wanted to make sure he was happy. He was completely blown away. He was very emotional.” (Jones, Soundsphere Magazine)