Audiences today, specifically modern queer audiences, may not quite understand the gravity of shame and fear expressed throughout Plainclothes, a 90s-set drama that sets itself around the gay cruising scene that honed a far-more secretive temperament than what is experienced today.
By no means is Carmen Emmi‘s enveloping film an alienating experience, but freedom in sexual expression wasn’t always as forthright in the community, and given we are living in a time where such freedoms are still being threatened, no matter how one looks at the first-time writer/director’s effort, it conveys a hard, sad truth.
If Emmi’s adopted aesthetic of interspliced low-grade video visuals and the nostalgic beep of a personal pager don’t immediately sit you in the comforts of the 1990s, the audio blaring of OMC’s “How Bizarre” over a shopping mall speaker should, stationing the initial story of up-and-coming police officer Lucas (Tom Blyth, whose face speaks volumes beyond his dialogue) and his current position as bait to catch out gay men prowling for public sexual interaction.
A simple exchange of eye contact, a nod of the head or a knowing smile are often the tell-tale signs of interest, and Lucas, clearly being the police force’s most obvious choice of bait, follows the eventual target into the public restroom where, as far as they know, an act of indecency will take place. Lucas’ objectives are clear and simple – no talking to the suspect and no contact – and he has to play along enough for the intended suspect to expose themselves, before he leaves, signals to his partner, and an arrest takes place.
With Plainclothes taking place some 30 years ago, it seems almost unfathomable that such tactics were still in place to nab and humiliate gay men. But considering conservative legislators are still attacking LGBTQ rights, Emmi’s views hold incredible weight. And next to the witch hunt-like mentality the film adheres to, a story of forbidden attraction and sexual identity emerges, with Lucas himself fighting his own attraction to men.
We sense the guilt he feels in trapping his victims, but it isn’t until he meets Andrew (Russell Tovey, impactful), intending to similarly snare him unawares, that he’s pushed over the edge to face his own sexual demons. His home life has kept him dangerously repressed to this point, with him choosing to maintain silence on the issue to protect his mother (Maria Dizzia) as his father, Gus, lays bedridden in his final days; only his former girlfriend, the kind-hearted Emily (Amy Forsyth), is aware of his same-sex attraction, a feeling she encourages him to explore.
As Lucas and Andrew eventually connect – the latter unaware of the initial sinister nature of their first “meeting” – though he keeps his real name from the secretive husband and father, Lucas spirals as he fights an attraction he was unprepared for, and navigates a workplace overseen by homophobic seniors; Emmi amping up the ironic homoeroticism of the force by focusing on the contact-heavy nature of the police gym sessions, which acts as only another threat for Lucas and his lingering glances.
Where the story travels and the hope that Lucas hones for a relationship with Andrew prove unexpected, furthering Emmi’s cold reality around queer acceptance. Plainclothes is ultimately a film with a good heart, but Emmi – who expresses Lucas’ anxious nature through the use of jump cuts and confusing sound – isn’t blind to the fear that plagued queer men in the 90s and, sadly, beyond.
It’s tremendously acted – Blyth dominates with a distressed discretion – and sensitively told.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Plainclothes is screening as part of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, running between January 23rd and February 2nd, 2025 in person, with select titles available online for the public between January 30th and February 2nd. For more information head to the official Sundance page.
