The narrative of "Plainclothes" carries audiences into the '90s, an era when arranging sexual rendezvous was not as easy for gay men and could lead to incarceration. The film conjures the remembered excitement and fear associated with homosexual encounters in a time when covert police operations targeted 'lewd' behavior.
"Plainclothes," directed by Carmen Emmi, deals with a closeted police officer, Lucas, played by Tom Blyth, who is given an intriguing proposition by one of the men he has exposed. This unexpected twist nudges Lucas towards exploring his own sexuality and forces him to reconcile with his conscience about arresting men who share his own latent desires.
The film effectively recreates the atmosphere of the late '90s, a period of uncertainty and paranoia, with gay cruising relying heavily on non-verbal cues. The symbolic codes are artfully captured through mirrors placed over urinals, allowing the characters' eyes to communicate their desires.
Lucas, who is exploring his bi-curiosity, wants his interested stranger, Andrew, to be his first encounter with a man. This pushes Lucas to risk breaking the laws he is supposed to uphold. Amid public outcry for a crackdown on such activities, Lucas ventures into the forbidden world of public rendezvous, exposing him to the risk of being caught.
This dangerous game takes a dramatic turn when Lucas starts stalking Andrew, breaking the unspoken rules of these undercover relationships, and unintentionally revealing more about Andrew than he initially believed. Lucas's desire for a relationship, even in the most unlikely of places, moves the plot towards an intense climax.
While the film’s complicated mashup of timelines and formats may feel misleading at times, it succeeds in portraying Lucas's suffocating sense of shame and the societal pressures of the period. In the face of hindsight, the audience is left with a resonance of encouragement for the character and a sense of retrospect that things have indeed improved.
