Jumping from the 50’s to the 90’s, My Policeman follows a man struggling to express his sexuality, whilst battling with the societal standards surrounding it.
★★✰✰✰
My Policeman is one of the most long-awaited films of the year, particularly with Harry Styles fans. The film is based on the book written by Bethan Roberts, and details what life was like for gay men in the 1950’s, and how badly the stigma surround the LGBTQ+ harmed those who needed to suppress who they really were. Although the plot itself is compelling, it was not very well executed.
The story follows Tom (Harry Styles) and Marion (Emma Corrin) — a couple who meet each other in the 1950s and slowly fall in love. But Tom has a secret: He is having an affair with a close friend, Patrick (David Dawson). There are not many films that portray the LGBTQ+ community in a time where it was forbidden to be a part of it, so the idea itself is interesting. However, the film does not deliver as well as it could have done. For such a complex issue at hand, the whole movie feels very surface level. The pacing is extremely fast — almost too fast for an audience to truly be able to resonate or feel emotion for the characters.
Of course, Harry Styles is going to be a major talking point for this film. It is his second lead role in a movie in just this year alone, following the release of Don’t Worry Darling. His dialogue is often very jolted and unnatural, as if he is just reading from a script and not giving a performance. You can’t help but view him as Harry Styles reading lines, rather than embodying his character and the events and emotions that surround him. Although there are multiple attempts at portraying harsh emotions, all of them seem manufactured and, at times, unnecessary.
Emma Corrin is the true talking point of the film in terms of its positives. She carries the 50’s scenes, and really embodies a woman who is dealing with not only her husband having an affair, but an affair with a man. Her emotions feel raw and authentic, and you can feel her anger and hurt through the screen. Although this is nice to see, it is also quite strange in hindsight, as the talking points of the movie should really be on the story of Patrick and Tom, who are unable to be together due to societal standards at the time. But their rapport is unfortunately not strong enough to make for a convincing enough performance, leaving the film lacking substance and feeling hollow.
Another saving point of the film, however, is the cinematography and the setting. Set in the coastal seaside town of Brighton, the film feels authentic and homely in that way. The scenes in the 50’s are bright and lively for the most part, and there is a stark difference when they fast forward to the 90’s, which is gloomy and dark, despite it being in the same area. The extreme differences in setting does help the audience to visually see the effects that society has had on Tom and Patrick in their lives, and how they had to suppress who they are for the entirety of it. But this setting also touches on the effects of Marion, which is interesting to see.
Despite the few positives that help salvage this film, it is ultimately a very surface level portrayal of such a beautiful story, which seems to have been let down by casting choices. It feels rushed and unemotional, making an audience very detached from what could have been an emotional and tragic love story.
The Verdict
Despite Emma Corrin’s best efforts to save, My Policeman is ultimately rather bland and passionless. It’s disappointing, considering the story is so unique and beautiful, but ultimately the cast’s lack of rapport and emotional connection to their characters lets it down.
Words by Connie Burke
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