- Starring
- Tom Blyth, Russell Tovey, Maria Dizzia,
- Writer
- Carmen Emmi
- Director
- Carmen Emmi
- Rating
- n/a
- Running Time
- 95 minutes
- Release Date
- n/a
Overall Score
Rating Summary
This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Sundance Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.
In an era as uncertain as the one we are living in, nostalgia for the past has become more prominent than ever. A few years ago, the 1980s were back in style. Movies, music, and fashion all emulated the era’s distinctive aesthetic. From Dua Lipa, to Stranger Things to The Weeknd, seemingly every major star and property was capitalizing on this sudden wave of 90s nostalgia. Now, the 1990s are having their moment, with everything from Nintendo 64 to plaid clothing, grunge, and skateboarding making a resurgence. But as Carman Emmi’s debut feature Plainclothes reminds us, not everything about the ’90s should be romanticized.
The film stars Tom Blyth as Lucas, a police officer working undercover in “plainclothes” operations that targeted gay men in public restrooms by seducing them into a false sense of security before exposing and arresting them. This was a cruel and unfortunately common practice in the US during the height of the AIDS crisis, an era marked by fear and discrimination of the LGBTQ+ community. Lucas takes his job seriously, but at the same time is also grappling with his own suppressed sexuality. When he finds himself drawn to one of his targets, the two spark a romance and begin seeing each other in secret.
Plainclothes delivers an unflinching portrayal of what it meant to be a gay man at the height of the AIDS crisis. The film’s use of handheld camcorder-style cinematography emulates the style of the era and amplifies the film’s tension, creating the constant feeling that Lucas is being watched. This stylistic choice, paired with fragmented editing that interweaves hazy childhood memories, effectively places the audience inside Lucas’s mind.
Blyth broke onto the scene very recently with his starring role as a young President Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes where he proves that he is a star in the making. Thanks to his remarkable ability to convey depth through subtle expressions, Blyth makes Lucas a deeply complex and empathetic protagonist. Meanwhile, Tovey is equally compelling as Andrew, Lucas’ elusive love interest, a man with secrets of his own that he keeps close to his chest.
In the end, Plainclothes is a gripping film, shedding light on a dark chapter of LGBTQ+ history while delivering a compelling romance and coming out story. In an era where the current American administration has blatantly shown a strong lack of care for the LGBTQ+ community, we need films like this to illustrate the dangers of going backwards. It’s a strong debut from Carmen Emmi, who is definitely a filmmaker to watch out for.
still courtesy of Sundance
If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook.
