Plainclothes

I really struggle to care about romance films. Love is such a private, subjective, and in many ways arbitrary experience and, as a show-don't-tell medium, movies in my opinion just aren't an easy art through which to explore how people feel it. Generally movies standardize it to "well she fills his X deficit/need and he fills her Y deficit/need and that's why they work". I don't care about such contrived, transactional relationship.

Plainclothes, however, completely breaks through this trap. For spoilers I won't detail how, but this easily the most "real" romance I've seen in recent memory, perhaps late memory. I teared up several times in this one. If you're gay or bi, this is especially moving. But even if you're not, you're in for a novel concept and a tense story to keep you glued through an eye-opening experience about gay love, or the lackthereof...

Another reason this works so well is that, while substantively a tragic romance, it FEELS like you're watching a thriller due to the pacing, anxious cinematography, and tense writing structure.

So, so good. Keep an eye out on the creative team. Exceptional film.

This gay movie revealed the dirty deeds of cops in the 90's era as the extreme result of homophobia. Disgusting, illegal and immoral. Like they don't have enough crimes to deal with. This movie follows Lucas, a gay cop who fell in love with one of his prey. It shows us Lucas' life journey to acceptance of his identity. Which is a real hardship, seeing how the people around him are extremely homophobic. It's very well acted and directed. Really worth watching. Put it on your watch list, if you haven't watched it yet.

Wow. I seriously enjoyed this film. Loved the way it was shot; grainy and authentic. The director really evoked the time and place so well. The acting was all round knock out (I can see why it won Sundance ensemble award), but particular credit to Tom Blyth - an actor I am not familiar with. He hooked me in from the 1st second and never let go until the last line of the film. Maybe he just reminded me of myself in the 90's; expectant, excited, hopeful, disappointed, frustrated all wrapped up in one confusing mess. There are not many films that I watch more than once (ok, I've seen Aliens more times than I can count) but I hope to revisit this one at some point in the future.

I didn't know what to expect from Plainclothes but I found myself drawn in. The story is quite slow and simple but it works because the acting carries everything. Russell Tovey in particular makes it believable and real. He has this way of showing small emotions that makes you feel like you're right there with him.

The film has a few moments that feel very raw and intimate. Some people will call them graphic but to me they felt honest. It wasn't done for shock. It was more about the connection between the characters and how careful they were with each other.

I don't usually sit through films easily but there was something about this one that kept me watching. Maybe it was the performances or the mood of it all. It isn't a loud or fast film. It's quiet, moody and you have to let yourself sink into it.

I wouldn't say it's perfect. There are times where it drifts and you wonder where it's going. But in the end I felt glad I'd watched it. It stays with you after the credits. That's rare for me.

Plainclothes

An excellent movie set in the 90's that explored the reality of being gay and trying to deny that truth in a straight world of friends and family. Supposedly built on a true story.

The ever present expectations of everyone around you to be what they expect you to be, is well played out in this movie.

Tom Blyth plays Lucas, a cop, who detail at the present is entrapment of gay men, here he meets Russell Tovey, who's playing Andrew and there is an instant connection. The movie skirted around the all to common reality that many a gay man cannot realised his true sexuality whilst his parents are alive and then when that moment arrives all hell breaks loose.

This was a cleverly scripted and crafted movie that alternated between the police work and the embryonic romantic relationship between Lucas and Andrew. There is more than an element of fixation on Lucas's part as this is his first entanglement.

I thought this was all played very convincingly and stated in spades no one can choose their sexuality or sexual preference regardless of their own intellectual desires, it just cannot be denied.

I'm going to give this firm 8 outta 10, a most believable set of scenarios.