It’s 1997. Lucas (Tom Blyth) is cruising the shopping mall while OMC’s “How Bizarre” plays over the loud speakers. He catches eyes with a man sitting in the food court. There’s a gentle flirtation before Lucas heads to the men’s room where he meets the man. Without a word said between them to show their sexual attraction, the man unzips his pants as Lucas quickly backtracks and signals for another undercover cop to arrest the man. The lives of undercover cops patrolling the queer scene has been done before in William Friedkin’s seminal film Cruising, and Carmen Emmi returns to it with her feature debut, Plainclothes, memorable only for Blyth’s charismatic performance.
Lucas has a lot on his plate. His father’s terminal illness, a crowded house of loud family members, a recent breakup with his girlfriend, and oh yeah, his hidden homosexual urges. It doesn’t help that dear ol’ Dad isn’t the most tolerant guy in the world, making any thought of coming out a no-go. It makes his job, entrapping others who act on their urges, especially grotesque. Still, he can’t let go of his feelings towards Andrew (Russell Tovey), an older gentleman he encountered but failed to arrest. Turns out that Andrew is thinking of him, as well. Their encounters are cautious, as neither wants their secret to get out. They meet in quiet, darkened places; a movie theater, an alley, a greenhouse. It takes time, but eventually they indulge in their sexual cravings. Boy, Andrew’s gonna be mad when he finds out what Lucas does for a living!
For obvious reasons, Plainclothes is a deliberately paced film, matching Lucas’ restraint and the clandestine nature of his encounters with Andrew. Emmi and DP Ethan Palmer do some cool things visually to spruce up the slow pace, such as switching the aspect ratios and giving the film a VHS video quality. They reflect the conflicting feelings raging inside of him, but they are more distracting than anything else, conflicting with the film’s gradual tone.
Further, Plainclothes feels sort of old-fashioned and dated, relying on stereotypes of the closeted gay man wrestling with his feelings and agonizing over his actions. There isn’t enough original story here for the film to be stand out on its own. The only true highlight is Blyth, a rising star who shows genuine presence and overcomes a lack of passionate chemistry with Tovey. Emmi delivers a respectable effort, but Plainclothes feels like a case of “been there, done that”, and perhaps this case should’ve stayed closed.
