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2025

Plainclothes

In Syracuse, 1996, Lucas (Tom Blyth) is a rising undercover agent tasked with luring gay men to public toilets to arrest them. When he meets Andrew (Russell Tovey) on the job, he breaks the rules and falls in love. In his directorial debut, Carmen Emmi creates a striking film that draws the viewer into experiencing the world from Lucas’s perspective.

Director

Carmen Emmi

Runtime

95 Minutes

Country

United States

Classification

Unclassified 18+

In Syracuse, 1996, Lucas (Tom Blyth) is a rising undercover agent tasked with luring gay men to public toilets to arrest them for indecency. There are clear rules that he must abide by to ensure that the arrest can’t be judged as entrapment – no talking, and he can’t step into the cubicle.

When he meets Andrew (Russell Tovey) on the job, he breaks the rules and falls in love. While Andrew vows that he only ever meets men once, Lucas persists in pursuing him. This increasing infatuation coincides with Lucas’s guilt over his role in persecuting gay men, many of whom are closeted and terrified of being outed. Interwoven with this budding relationship are scenes from a boisterous family dinner party at his mother’s house, where his lecherous uncle’s new girlfriend threatens to expose Lucas’s secret. In his directorial debut, Carmen Emmi has created an aesthetically striking and compelling film that draws the viewer into experiencing the world from Lucas’s perspective.

“A moving story told with sensitivity and beautifully acted by the two leads.”

The Hollywood Reporter

Sundance - Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast

Film Credits

Director

Carmen Emmi

Year

2025

Country

United States

Language

English

Subtitles

English

Type

Feature & Fiction

Program Strand

World Cinema

Producer

Colby CoteArthur LandonEric Podwall & Vanessa Pantley

Writer

Carmen Emmi

Cinematographer

Ethan Palmer

Editor

Erik Vogt-Nilsen

Cast

Tom BlythRussell Tovey & Maria Dizzia

Music

Emily Wells

Film Source

Colby Cote & Magnify

Genre

DramaLGBTQIA+ & Thriller

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