The arrival of Patrick into Marion and Tom's home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previously.The arrival of Patrick into Marion and Tom's home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previously.The arrival of Patrick into Marion and Tom's home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previously.
- Awards
- 1 win & 4 nominations total
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Summary
Reviewers say 'My Policeman' delves into forbidden love and societal repression, highlighting the struggles of LGBTQ+ individuals in the 1950s. Praised for poignant storytelling and strong performances by Harry Styles, David Dawson, and Emma Corrin, it also faces criticism for pacing, underdeveloped characters, and intimate scene handling. Emotional impact and beautiful craftsmanship are noted, yet some find it lacking depth and originality. The dual timelines and lead actors' chemistry are strengths, though transitions are seen as jarring.
Featured reviews
My Policeman is the story of a love triangle between two men and a woman, and a forbidden love between the two men in 1957 in Britain. There are two sets of actors who play the older and younger versions of the characters. They were all good, but I particulary liked the excellent young cast. Young Tom, (Harry Styles), is a hunky, rookie policeman; young Marion, (Emma Corrin), is a teacher; young Patrick, (David Dawson), Tom's lover, is a museum curator. The camera loves certain people; Harry Styles is one of those people. He played Tom with a disarming innocence.
The story time jumps between 1999 - 2000, when the Tom and Marion are retired and Marion takes Patrick in to help him heal after he had a stroke, and 1957 - 1958 when the three meet. In 1999, Tom does not want Patrick in his house and refuses contact with him. Much of the story is relayed through flashbacks as Marion reads Patrick's diary. It's disturbing to watch the judgment and violence that gay men had to endure in 1950s America. The relationships are well developed, nuanced, and complex. I liked the film.
The story time jumps between 1999 - 2000, when the Tom and Marion are retired and Marion takes Patrick in to help him heal after he had a stroke, and 1957 - 1958 when the three meet. In 1999, Tom does not want Patrick in his house and refuses contact with him. Much of the story is relayed through flashbacks as Marion reads Patrick's diary. It's disturbing to watch the judgment and violence that gay men had to endure in 1950s America. The relationships are well developed, nuanced, and complex. I liked the film.
Not reading the book, being interested by music of Harry Stiles and admiring Rupert Everett, it is just easy to not ignore this movie.
The expectation - maybe influenced by Firebird by Peeter Rabane. Sure, different context but same spider webb of intolerance .
The film is just gifted. Good acting, fair story, seductive images.
But you can not feel the tension , emotions and the deepness of the inner fights of characters.
So, you have one verdict - a beautiful film. But the connections are too fragile and you feel entire story as exterior one .
But it works.
And the delicate bitterness remains a precious gift from Michael Grandage.
The expectation - maybe influenced by Firebird by Peeter Rabane. Sure, different context but same spider webb of intolerance .
The film is just gifted. Good acting, fair story, seductive images.
But you can not feel the tension , emotions and the deepness of the inner fights of characters.
So, you have one verdict - a beautiful film. But the connections are too fragile and you feel entire story as exterior one .
But it works.
And the delicate bitterness remains a precious gift from Michael Grandage.
I can hardly believe the 6.8 rating on here for this wonderful life long romance journey. The screenplay is brilliant - but perhaps some people marked it down because in fact its not just fiction.
Similar stories have continued for generations. The story of forbidden love and conformity collide together in this surprising piece of excellent work.
The (surprising) cast (young and older) were all excellent in this forbidden love triangle. This story is not make believe; whilst I am not saying the storyline is common - I am saying its not unusual for those times. Perhaps less so these days.
The low score on here surprises me - considering much higher scores are given to series/films that are complete codswallop.
Give it a go - but its not for the bigoted or squeamish.
SPOILER ALERT: there are no gun chases/Shoot outs not car chases.
Similar stories have continued for generations. The story of forbidden love and conformity collide together in this surprising piece of excellent work.
The (surprising) cast (young and older) were all excellent in this forbidden love triangle. This story is not make believe; whilst I am not saying the storyline is common - I am saying its not unusual for those times. Perhaps less so these days.
The low score on here surprises me - considering much higher scores are given to series/films that are complete codswallop.
Give it a go - but its not for the bigoted or squeamish.
SPOILER ALERT: there are no gun chases/Shoot outs not car chases.
This film was so much more than I was expecting! It's a beautiful story and the chemistry between the younger characters was fantastic.
This is a beautiful reminder of how far we have come and a shocking reminder of how things used to be in the 1950s
The intimacy scenes were wonderful and tastefully shot. From early on you can feel the spark and tension between Tom and Patrick.
David Dawson is a brilliant Patrick and Harry styles did a great job with Tom. Emma corrin was wonderful as always.
My only criticism is I didn't recognise the older characters to be a good fit. They didn't seem to embody the characters as the younger actors.
All in all a great movie which left me in tears.
This is a beautiful reminder of how far we have come and a shocking reminder of how things used to be in the 1950s
The intimacy scenes were wonderful and tastefully shot. From early on you can feel the spark and tension between Tom and Patrick.
David Dawson is a brilliant Patrick and Harry styles did a great job with Tom. Emma corrin was wonderful as always.
My only criticism is I didn't recognise the older characters to be a good fit. They didn't seem to embody the characters as the younger actors.
All in all a great movie which left me in tears.
Laid-back, understated, emotionally honest look at forbidden love in 1950s Britain and what it does to three people who love each other to varying extents, with a judicious, unshowy screenplay by Ron Nyswaner ("Philadelphia") and tender direction by Michael Grandage. It makes Brighton look gorgeous, and it peers into the lives of teacher Marion, policeman Tom, and museum curator Patrick with an appealing non-judgmentalism. You can pick at it: Why does the latter-day Tom treat Patrick like that, and how much does Marion know and when does she know it, and why don't we find out more about Marion's BFF, and the 1999 sequences aren't as rooted in 1999 as the 1957 sequences are in 1957. I still don't see what everyone sees in Harry Styles, it's a timid performance that could use more swagger. But the rest of the cast is excellent, and the fadeout had everyone around me weeping.
Did you know
- TriviaTo prepare for his role, Harry Styles memorized the entire script. According to the director, Styles could recite every character's lines in a given scene.
- GoofsYoung Patrick's hair recedes much more than "Old" Patrick's.
- SoundtracksMemories Are Made of This
Written by Rich Dehr (as Richard Dehr), Terry Gilkyson and Frank Miller
Performed by Dean Martin
Courtesy of Capitol Records, LLC
Under licence from Universal Music Operations Ltd.
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- Мій поліцейський
- Filming locations
- Venice, Italy(Canal and waterside scenes in Venice, Italy.)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 53 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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