PLAINCLOTHES

Synopsis

In a 90s New York mall, a sting operation lures gay men to humiliating arrests. Lucas, a hot young cop, serves as bait. But when Lucas is tempted to break protocol to pursue one of his targets, personal and official lives collide in this riveting psychodrama. Lucas (Tom Blyth) has gone undercover in his own life, spying on whispered conversations, picking up on nuances, and—helpless to resist—sneaking glances in the locker room. A perilous first encounter with Andrew (Russell Tovey) and subsequent meetups in an opulent movie palace and steamy greenhouse only add to the ratcheting tension. The two men held together by a taut wire of longing. As the film’s timelines of ‘Before’ and ‘After’ Andrew begin to merge in breathless rhythms and incisive match cuts, Lucas becomes haunted by the faces of those he’s helped ensnare, as well as by a lost brown envelope. The envelope seems to be of dire significance—the key to what has happened between these two secret-driven souls. Plainclothes is a Soderbergh-esque blend of kineticism and heightened style that foregrounds its smoldering performances, marking first-time writer-director Carmen Emmi as a thrilling new voice.

Trailer