Plainclothes

Play trailer

2:08

Plainclothes

Sep 2025

1h 35m

Drama

Romance

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

LGBTQ+

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

83%

Tomatometer

84 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

At his mother's New Year’s Eve party Lucas, a young police officer, loses a letter no one was ever meant to read. Amid the backdrop of the suffocating family party, the search for the letter unlocks memories of a past he's tried to forget: months earlier, while working undercover in a mall bathroom, Lucas arrested men by seducing them. But when he encounters Andrew, everything changes. What begins as another setup becomes something far more electric and intimate. As their secret connection deepens and police pressure to deliver arrests intensifies, Lucas finds himself torn between duty and desire. With time running out and his past closing in, PLAINCLOTHES builds toward a New Year's Eve reckoning where everything he's buried threatens to erupt.

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Critics Consensus

This tension-filled coming out story marks a welcome debut for director Carmen Emmi, whose Plainclothes showcases the perils of love and the effects of isolation.

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Beth Webb

Empire Magazine

Carmen Emmi compellingly mines thriller tropes to capture the fraught experience of suppressed sexuality, but it's Lucas and Andrew’s heart-rending, beautifully performed love story that endures.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 22, 2025

Full Review

Alexander Mooney

Little White Lies

Plainclothes is especially frustrating because its frenetic presentation and sensational scenario initially suggest a coherent perspective – hard to come by in the increasingly censored and commodified landscape of queer cinema.

Rated: 2/5

Oct 14, 2025

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Kermode and Mayo's Take (YouTube)

Once again, independent low-budget cinema made by people who really care turns out to be the most interesting thing on release.

Oct 11, 2025

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

The Queer Gaze (Podcast)

The use of video is overdone to the point of distraction but Blyth and Tovey's committed performances help to smooth over most of the rough edges. This is a throwback to a rough time for queers (the 90s), though the ending is overwrought and too dramatic

Rated: 3/5

Oct 30, 2025

Full Review

Tom Dawson

Radio Times

There are convincing performances here from both Blyth and Tovey, even if the film stumbles in its final act, relying on a melodramatic confrontation for its conclusion.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 29, 2025

Full Review

Stephen A. Russell

ScreenHub

A tantalisingly slow-burn 90s-set drama ... The audience is held claustrophobically tight as the cat-and-mouse game plays out.

Oct 29, 2025

Full Review

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Patrick

In spite of some quirky elements this movie will hit you right in the gut at the ending. Prepare to be gob smacked! There's at least one Oscar worthy performance.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/20/25

Full Review

yawar c

wonderfully moving film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/12/25

Full Review

Bob

Excellent film. Great story, acting, and cinematography. Highly recommend.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/10/25

Full Review

Scott B

It was an old story told well

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/08/25

Full Review

Scott D

Great storyline Tense

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/05/25

Full Review

Michael

I liked the style of direction and editing. The cast did a good job of acting.The movie had hot,sexy moments!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/27/25

Full Review

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Carmen Emmi

Director

Tom Blyth

Lucas

Russell Tovey

Andrew

Maria Dizzia

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Christian Cooke

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Plainclothes: Trailer 1

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Plainclothes: Teaser

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Synopsis

At his mother's New Year’s Eve party Lucas, a young police officer, loses a letter no one was ever meant to read. Amid the backdrop of the suffocating family party, the search for the letter unlocks memories of a past he's tried to forget: months earlier, while working undercover in a mall bathroom, Lucas arrested men by seducing them. But when he encounters Andrew, everything changes. What begins as another setup becomes something far more electric and intimate. As their secret connection deepens and police pressure to deliver arrests intensifies, Lucas finds himself torn between duty and desire. With time running out and his past closing in, PLAINCLOTHES builds toward a New Year's Eve reckoning where everything he's buried threatens to erupt.

Director: Carmen Emmi
Producer: Colby Cote, Arthur Landon, Eric Podwall, Vanessa Pantley
Screenwriter: Carmen Emmi
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Podwall Entertainment, Lorton Entertainment, Page 1 Entertainment, Mini Productions
Genre: Drama, Romance, Mystery & Thriller, Crime, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 19, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 4, 2025
Box Office (Gross USA): $139.7K
Runtime: 1h 35m

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