| Director | Kirk Jones |
|---|---|
| Budget | £5 million |
| Box office | $16 million |
In 1983, 12-year-old John Davidson lives with his working class family in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders. Aspiring to become a footballer, he begins Secondary School at Galashiels Academy. The next morning, just before a football scout is to come to assess his goalkeeping skills, John begins to inexplicably experience episodes of tics and uncontrollable swearing at school. The head teacher punishes John by whipping his hand with a belt, resulting in a poor performance in front of the scout due to his hand still hurting.
After John's condition keeps causing incidents, the head teacher tells him to find a new school. After spitting at his family during dinner, John is banned from the dining table by his mother Heather and made to eat in front of the fireplace. His condition strains his parents' marriage, until his father abandons the home. Distraught, John attempts suicide by walking into a river, but is rescued and wakes in hospital.
In 1996, John, now 25, is still living with Heather and has been diagnosed with the incurable Tourette syndrome. John runs into his school friend, Murray, who has returned from Australia after his mother, Dottie, was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer and given six months to live. John turns down Murray's invitation to join the family for dinner, but Dottie, a mental health nurse, insists he come in and senses John's discomfort.
Dottie asks about his medication, and the family agrees John should stay with them, much to Heather's despair. Dottie gets John a job interview at the local community centre. The ageing caretaker, Tommy, shows John around and does not react to his tics until John unwittingly smacks Tommy's dog. John assumes that he has ruined his chances of getting the job.
However, Murray's family surprises John at home; not only did he get the caretaker assistant's job but the growth on Dottie's liver is benign. John goes to collect a takeaway to celebrate, but is beaten up badly by two men in the street after calling a woman "slut" during a tic. Dottie stays at his side in hospital and assures him the job will be waiting for him.
John starts work with Tommy, who supports and mentors him. John's tics cause a fight in a bar, and he is charged with assault. At the trial, John is unable to finish the oath without swearing at the judge, who removes him from the stand. Tommy, as character witness, defends John's behaviour as uncontrollable. John is found not guilty. Later, John goes to Tommy's house but finds him dead from a heart attack. After Tommy's funeral, John assumes that he will become unemployed, but instead is offered his job.
A family from a local hospital is referred to John to meet their daughter, who has Tourette's. John starts hosting Tourette's workshops at the community centre, and giving talks at schools and police stations to raise awareness. He is eventually awarded an MBE by the Queen in 2019. After receiving the award at Holyrood Palace, John shows the medal to his mother and explains why he did not invite her. She apologises for being short-tempered with him in his youth, and they tearfully reconcile.
In 2023, John works with researchers at University of Nottingham to test a treatment device: a non-invasive median nerve stimulation (MNS) device worn as a bracelet to calm his tics sufficiently, which allows him to remain quiet during an entire visit to the library. On the train home, he strikes up a conversation with a woman, demonstrating his growing confidence.
The film ends with footage of the real John Davidson, the subject of several BBC documentaries, starting with John's Not Mad, along with a postscript emphasizing the importance of societal awareness in the management of Tourette's.