Scott Ellis Watson

The tics in I Swear (2025) require Scott Ellis Watson to repeat movements without making the young John Davidson disappear behind them. He prepared with voice and movement coaches, studied documentary footage and spent time with Davidson. The work gives Robert Aramayo a credible younger self to follow when he takes over in John’s late teens. For a debut, that is a substantial job, and Watson’s care is worth noticing without pretending that he carries the whole film.

Kirk Jones’s film is kind and funny, but follows the familiar biopic route so faithfully that its actors have to supply much of the surprise. Aramayo remains the reason to see it. We were moved by his half-second check of who has heard a shout, which makes the effort of facing other people painfully clear. Watson’s contribution is to establish enough of John for the change of actor to feel like growing up rather than beginning another story.

His next film, Simon Hynd’s Ghosts: The Possession of Button House (2026), gives that attention to movement a comic use. As Jack, a teenager caught in the possession plot, he has to carry another character’s mannerisms inside his own performance. The impersonation works, though it is one pleasure within an ensemble comedy rather than a reason to build the evening around Watson. The film offers a funny, affectionate adventure without requiring familiarity with the sitcom, but its ambitions extend little further than giving these characters another outing.

Two performances built around reproducing someone else’s physical habits tell us something about preparation, but leave us curious about a part with fewer models to follow. There is no need to turn an attentive debut and a nimble comedy role into a fully formed reputation. Start with I Swear for Watson, even though it is Aramayo we remember most.