Plainclothes

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2:08

Plainclothes

In Theaters Fri Sep 19

1h 35m

Drama

Romance

Mystery & Thriller

Crime

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

81%

Tomatometer

42 Reviews

Popcornmeter

0 Verified 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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In Theaters Fri Sep 19

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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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Carmen Emmi

Director

Tom Blyth

Lucas

Russell Tovey

Andrew

Maria Dizzia

Marie

Christian Cooke

Ron

Gabe Fazio

Uncle Paul

Ronda Racha Penrice

TheWrap

Blythe’s performance is an interior one, where what Lucas does is not as important as how he feels inside. Capturing that is a special gift and Blyth delivers.

Aug 13, 2025

Full Review

Drew Gregory

Autostraddle

While this disinterest in policing isn’t inherently a problem, it does leave the film’s most interesting thematic threads unexplored.

Feb 3, 2025

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Liz Shannon Miller

Consequence

Plainclothes has its moments, especially in its frank depiction of the awkward position of not-quite-acceptance faced by gay people in the 1990s. Yet it falls just short of greatness.

Rated: B-

Feb 1, 2025

Full Review

EJ Moreno

Flickering Myth

Intensely erotic, terrifyingly paranoid, and such an honest look at yearning. Tom Blyth serves up a hot meal, and we (along with Russell Tovey) are eating it up.

Aug 20, 2025

Full Review

Matthew Koss

The Wandering Screen (YouTube)

Plainclothes is an unforgettable thriller that, through its gripping performances, bold stylistic choices, and unflinching honesty, captures the suffocating fear of being watched, judged, and ultimately exposed.

Rated: A

Aug 17, 2025

Full Review

Nicholas Bell

Fish Jelly Films (YouTube)

A distressing portrait of the detrimental and toxic effects of the closet, Tom Blyth centers a quiet, gripping character portrait.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 20, 2025

Full Review

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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
Runtime: 1h 35m