Plainclothes wraps a forbidden love story in an unconventional package

Stories of romance can have all sorts of complications: rich girl/poor guy, love triangle, wartime draft. Generally, we see a couple pulled apart by circumstances beyond their control such as meddling families or political strife. Thus, Carmen Emmi’s Sundance darling Plainclothes provides an original angle, offering both an examination of an oppressive culture, a predatory law enforcement practice and the bounds of societal expectations.

Set in 1997, Plainclothes revolves around Lucas (Tom Blyth, Robin Hood), a plainclothes police officer that participates in a continual sting operation run by law enforcement. He goes to a public place with his team, seduces gay men, lures them into public restrooms and coaxes them into exposing themselves. Once they do, he signals to a nearby officer to move in and make an arrest on the grounds of indecent exposure. At one point, this was indeed a standard practice by law enforcement, leading to the arrest of some notable public figures. Lucas seems conflicted with his task much of the time, and amid one such operation, spares the target, a man named Andrew (Russell Tovey, Pride). Andrew instead gives Lucas his number before they part ways. When Lucas later contacts Andrew, they begin a private but complicated romance where they each have something to lose.

Separate from his work life, Lucas grapples with what is at times overwhelming anxiety, spurred on by doubts about his sexuality. He has a complicated relationship with his ex-girlfriend, to whom he admitted that he may be attracted to men while they were still dating. Though clearly hurt, she supports his efforts to discover his true identity. Interfering with Lucas’s path to self-discovery is a bigoted uncle, the reality of his everyday job, and his grief over the recent passing of his father.

An increasing number of films in recent years have shed light on homophobia and same-sex romance, but few have tackled the volatile relationship between the LGBTQ+ community and police. Plainclothes sheds light on this dynamic through a protagonist at the crossroads. Lucas faces all the typical pressures of a closeted homosexual man in the late ‘90s: a strained heterosexual relationship, a general feeling of loneliness, and a close family member unaware of his sexuality who makes disparaging comments.  Lucas just so happens to have the huge additional weight of his job, which is to entrap men like himself. Even though his time with Andrew allows him happiness that he hadn’t known before, Andrew contends that their romance is just a fling and can be nothing more. This is the last thing Lucas, battling self-esteem and anxiety, needs to hear.

Plainclothes uses many technical elements to create a ‘90s feel. For starters, many of Lucas’s sting operations take place in malls, a setting much more popular at the time. Director Carmen Emmi shoots with a hi-8 camera, reminiscent of home movies, also more common back then. The most effective use of hi-8 in the movie is during Lucas’s sporadic anxiety attacks, displaying how disconcerting the experience can be. Emmi uses abrasive noises combined with rapid cuts and sped-up visuals that convey Lucas’s disorder. These scenes give us empathy for a character who, at the beginning of the film, is not quite as easy to root for.

A couple of scenes consist of the lens being the view through a camcorder, with the familiar time display in the bottom right. This not only clearly establishes the year the film is set in but gives the nostalgic feel of what it was like to record pre-camera phone. Seeing a family member walk around with a camcorder highlighted special occasions and prompted us to create memorable moments with one another. Similarly, another scene depicts a character playing a Gameboy, a handheld video game device synonymous with the late ‘90s. While it premiered in 1989, the Gameboy continued to rise in popularity throughout the next decade. As many gamers now opt for interactive headset devices from home, the presence of the handheld device in Plainclothes, even in just one scene, contributes greatly to the feel of the movie. It reminds the audience of an inexpensive gaming option that still allowed adolescents to be out and about while playing.

Possibly the subtlest representation of the ‘90s in Plainclothes was the fashion. The premise of the film and the sting operation allow for the protagonist to be donned in the attire of the time rather than the standard uniform of a police officer. Because of this detail, we see Lucas contributing to the casual chic look, wearing flannel shirts, bomber jackets, stonewashed jeans and a logo-less baseball cap to make himself look younger. Andrew rocks a pair of Dockers and a puffy winter jacket, also popular in the era. As sometimes, the costuming in a period piece can put you way over budget (think The Get Down), these fairly simple outfits contribute to a minimalist feel.

There are not many comps for a film like Plainclothes, but as far as its relationship dynamic, this Sundance entry oddly enough reminds me of the 2009 dram-edy Up in the Air. George Clooney plays a consultant whose job is to fire people on behalf of their employers, leading him to become emotionally detached. Though Lucas certainly expresses his emotions, the job of luring people into handcuffs has caused him to suppress part of himself. Clooney’s character falls for a business partner (Vera Farmiga) who has her own obligations and views him as a fling, even telling him, “You are an escape. You’re a break from our normal lives, you’re a parenthesis.” Lucas feels the same rejection from Andrew and struggles to cope. Ultimately, both characters must change their approach to life in order to love themselves.