You can always tell when a man is hiding something. That tension anchors the first full trailer for Plainclothes, a simmering new drama led by Tom Blyth as a tense undercover cop who operates on the edge of danger and desire.
Blyth plays Lucas, a young officer on the entrapment beat who sets up shop in busy mall spaces, luring men into a bathroom encounter and signaling the squad to close in as the situation escalates. The film’s rules are stark: “We have a rule on this detail — no words, and no entering the stall,” a commander reminds him, underscoring the high-stakes nature of his work and the moral tightrope he walks.
The tension accelerates when Lucas shares a stall with Russell Tovey’s Andrew, a moment that jolts his carefully curated life. Andrew’s probing questions—“What’s your type? Who are you into?”—chip away at Lucas’s defenses, while a hushed, intimate exchange lingers: “Can I touch you?” and the stark choice, “Blink once for no, twice for yes.” The scene widens the rift between duty and desire, pulling Lucas into uncharted personal territory.
The trailer, which debuted at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, promises searing thrills and a complex emotional through-line. Lucas’s declaration at the end—“I can’t hide anymore”—hints at a catharsis scholars and audiences have been awaiting, as the character’s private life collides with the pressure to deliver arrests.
Plainclothes transports viewers to the 1990s in Syracuse, New York, the hometown of director Carmen Emmi. The film has already earned recognition at Sundance for its ensemble strength, with Blyth, Tovey, Fazio, Amy Forsyth, Christian Cooke, and Maria Dizzia delivering a standout performance roster that helps drive the film’s intimate, high-stakes tension.
The official logline centers on a New Year’s Eve party at Lucas’s mother’s home, where a lost letter uncovers memories from a past he’s tried to bury. Months earlier, while undercover in a mall bathroom, Lucas arrested men by seducing them; when he encounters Andrew, what begins as another setup becomes something electric and intimate. As police pressure mounts to deliver results, Lucas must decide where his loyalty truly lies, culminating in a New Year’s Eve reckoning that threatens to unearth truths he’s suppressed for years.
Plainclothes, distributed by Magnolia Pictures, arrives in theaters on September 19, 2025. Emmi’s reflections on the film’s genesis offer a meaningful perspective: the project grew from her own hometown and family, including her brother who was pursuing a police career as she wrote. She also cites a provocative insight she encountered while researching the story—an idea that “punch is better than a hug” at a certain age—but uses it to explore what happens when you police your own feelings.
Extra value for readers
– The film benefits from a powerful ensemble and a director making her feature debut, signaling fresh storytelling energy in a story centered on policing, identity, and longing.
– The setting in 1990s Syracuse adds a tactile sense of place that shapes the mood, themes, and character dynamics.
– The narrative’s tension between professional duty and private truth offers rich ground for discussions about representation, consent, and the human costs of undercover work.
In short, Plainclothes promises a tense, character-driven drama anchored by standout performances and a provocative look at the entanglement of desire, secrecy, and duty. It aims to spark conversations about how we police our feelings and what happens when the past refuses to stay buried, all set against a blistering New Year’s Eve reckoning.
Summary: A high-stakes undercover drama that blends tense suspense with intimate emotional conflict, led by Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey, directed by Carmen Emmi, and arriving in theaters September 19, 2025, from Magnolia Pictures. The film explores how a police officer’s hidden desires collide with professional obligations, culminating in a decisive New Year’s Eve confrontation.
Positive note
– The film has the potential to offer nuanced portrayals of sexuality and power dynamics within policing, paired with strong performances and a distinctive late-1990s atmosphere.