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
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.
I've not read the book this is based on, so I'm torn if this is actually something of value or just a film version of something similar to a 1950's paperback type novel about "forbidden love." Somehow it has the feel of both. One thing it does have is a miscast actor as the pivotal character in this love triangle between two men and a one woman. Harry Styles showed a lot of potential in his small role in Dunkirk and he is not terrible here at all, but he totally lacks any sort of gravity or depth necessary for this role. He's a novice and it shows. Somehow the film is still interesting despite that. It's a three character film played by six actors in two different time periods, the late 1950's and the early 2000's. The other five all give fine performances of which I appreciated Gina McKee the most. This is very well directed, though it is not exactly an original storyline, but it still has relevancy and it is also a reminder of just how far gay rights have come since those horrid times not that many years ago. This is ultimately a sad story of three people who were never able to have the lives they wanted, most of that society's fault, some their own. There are some good old songs used to great effect here and the whole film has an appropriate mood. It's flawed, but I still admire some of it even if it might be similar to a 1950's forbidden love paperback.
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.
Convenient set of diaries to facilitate the story moving back in time to the 1950s. I think the scenes depicting Brighton mid 20th century seemed very authentic. Homosexuality at that time was a crime. It must have been quite common in same sex relationships for one (or both) to marry some one of the opposite sex in order to hide their preferred sexuality. This film tells the story of 3 people and such a marriage in a very sensitive and credible way. Quite a thought provoking film contrasting how homosexuals were thought of and treated mid 20th century with present day. The story is told through Marian reading Patrick's diaries of the 1950s. Both she and he love Tom (My Policeman). If I have any criticism it would be that I felt Tom's perspective of having the love of 2 people and how this affected him was not depicted. I'm left wondering about the missing years in the film was he remorseful, was he a good husband ? Did Tom and Marian have the children they so desired ?
Harry Styles helped me propose to my girlfriend in October of 2014, so its hard for me not to be partial to him. Went into this movie having no idea what it was about and I'm glad. I will say that although Styles' acting skills have improved greatly, he was still outshined by his cast mates. There were times where his emotions came across as disingenuous and flat, but also times where I could tell that he's been working on his chops. Now, not knowing what I was going into, I must say I was quite surprised at some of the moments in this movie. There were a couple of things I wish they had conveyed better, such as the time between the 50s and 90s. I felt like there was big gap missing and I was left wondering what happened or how they lived their lives out between those years. I would recommend this to most of my friends, although I know some would cringe at the "love making" scenes. I, personally, was not put off by this and found it quite romantic at times, although Patrick did come across as pushy and off putting many times, almost creep like. In the end, I really enjoyed the film and look forward to seeing many more from Harry Styles. He's only going to improve.
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
- Runtime
- 1h 53m(113 min)
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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