Plainclothes

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Plainclothes

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1h 35m

Drama

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LGBTQ+

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Popcornmeter

82%

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79 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 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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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

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Alex Davidson

Sight & Sound

Tovey gives a smartly understated performance, Andrew’s calmness simultaneously bringing a stability lacking in Lucas’s life while suggesting an enigmatic, unknowable edge to his character.

Oct 10, 2025

Full Review

Marlon Wallace

The M Report (WBOC.com)

...establishes early that this film is really about the mental health of his protagonist... the film looks like Academy ratio on a 35 mm print... It's box-like, almost as if to box us into the head and the mind of the main character.

Oct 15, 2025

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Jack Martin

Film Feeder

A strong psychodrama that is occasionally undone by its conventional nature and emotional coldness but still manages to deliver one hell of a payoff.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 13, 2025

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Jared Mobarak

Hey, Have You Seen ...?

It’s a fantastic turn by Blyth as he treads through the innocence and pleasures of desire while existing in a walled-off prison of prejudice pretending to be morality.

Rated: 9/10

Oct 10, 2025

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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

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Scott D

Great storyline Tense

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/05/25

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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

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Bruce C

I liked this movie so much. Tom Blyth creates a character who is so real and vulnerable. Russell Tovey is genuine and restrained. They are not perfect but very sympathetic. There's so much tension in this. What will happen next? The sex scenes were so sexy and in no way gratuitous. The ending is powerful and so not formulaic. Highly recommended.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/28/25

Full Review

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Carmen Emmi

Director

Tom Blyth

Lucas

Russell Tovey

Andrew

Maria Dizzia

Marie

Christian Cooke

Ron

Gabe Fazio

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Plainclothes: Trailer 1

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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
Box Office (Gross USA): $86.5K
Runtime: 1h 35m