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Plainclothes Reviews
A tender, touching film, emotionally distorted by director-writer Carmen Emmi’s non-linear narrative and grainy, VHS footage – a visual representation of surveillance and self-policed repression that obscures more than it adds.
I really enjoyed the vibes of it all because it's really trying to capture a moment... The sense of surveillance feels integral rather than flashy.
There's way too much stuff going on.
Plain Clothes is honest, portraying internal turmoil in relatable fashion. the only dressing down here is the lack of audio description, which would have turned it into a complete outfit.
It’s a part of recent history ripe for revisiting, especially as audiences will have more compassion for these men than they have for themselves.
Plainclothes emerges as an impressive feature debut precisely because of how it incorporates style and content; one without the other would render the film a much more average drama.
The use of video is overdone to the point of distraction but Blyth and Tovey's committed performances help to smooth over most of the rough edges. This is a throwback to a rough time for queers (the 90s), though the ending is overwrought and too dramatic
There are convincing performances here from both Blyth and Tovey, even if the film stumbles in its final act, relying on a melodramatic confrontation for its conclusion.
A tantalisingly slow-burn 90s-set drama ... The audience is held claustrophobically tight as the cat-and-mouse game plays out.
Plainclothes is a film which works on different levels. It’s a sexy psychodrama about hidden love affairs and inner shame, but it’s also a much-needed reminder of recent queer history.
Carmen Emmi compellingly mines thriller tropes to capture the fraught experience of suppressed sexuality, but it's Lucas and Andrew’s heart-rending, beautifully performed love story that endures.
...establishes early that this film is really about the mental health of his protagonist... the film looks like Academy ratio on a 35 mm print... It's box-like, almost as if to box us into the head and the mind of the main character.
Plainclothes is especially frustrating because its frenetic presentation and sensational scenario initially suggest a coherent perspective – hard to come by in the increasingly censored and commodified landscape of queer cinema.
A strong psychodrama that is occasionally undone by its conventional nature and emotional coldness but still manages to deliver one hell of a payoff.
Once again, independent low-budget cinema made by people who really care turns out to be the most interesting thing on release.
Tovey gives a smartly understated performance, Andrew’s calmness simultaneously bringing a stability lacking in Lucas’s life while suggesting an enigmatic, unknowable edge to his character.
It’s a fantastic turn by Blyth as he treads through the innocence and pleasures of desire while existing in a walled-off prison of prejudice pretending to be morality.
Carmen Emmi has made a perfectly watchable debut feature, but it's a shame that it wastes the overwhelming potential of its premise.
Plainclothes is heartfelt in many ways, but burdened with a colossally melodramatic ending.
The performances are so strong, the stars' chemistry so beguiling, they almost overcome the shortcomings that hold “Plainclothes” back. What ultimately does the movie in is a misbegotten framing device...