Plainclothes

Play trailer

2:08

Plainclothes

Sep 2025

1h 35m

Mystery & Thriller

LGBTQ+

Crime

Drama

Romance

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

87 Reviews

87%

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

John Stark

Mac the Movie Guy

Plain Clothes is honest, portraying internal turmoil in relatable fashion. the only dressing down here is the lack of audio description, which would have turned it into a complete outfit.

Rated: 63/100

Nov 29, 2025

Full Review

Alex Heeney

Seventh Row

It’s a part of recent history ripe for revisiting, especially as audiences will have more compassion for these men than they have for themselves.

Nov 25, 2025

Full Review

Olivia Popp

Purple Hour

Plainclothes emerges as an impressive feature debut precisely because of how it incorporates style and content; one without the other would render the film a much more average drama.

Nov 18, 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

Marie

Christian Cooke

Ron

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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: Mystery & Thriller, LGBTQ+, Crime, Drama, Romance
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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