My Policeman
This film is rated R for sexual content and violence. The film also covers homophobia. Watch at your own risk.
The film adaptation of Bethan Roberts’ “My Policeman” is a tragic love story surrounding two men, a policeman and a museum curator, showing what they, and millions of others in the 1950s, went through just to be with each other.
The story takes place in Brighton, England, about 64 miles outside of London, and follows the lives of three people, Tom, Patrick and Marion, in disjointed flashbacks.
At the beginning of the film, we see a married couple, Tom and Marion, taking in their old friend, Patrick, who has suffered a stroke. Marion is welcoming to their new guest, happily taking care of him, but Tom is reminded of his past with the other gentleman and is not as hospitable.
After this, the flashbacks begin. We see young Marion and Tom, and how their relationship went from friendship to, what seemed to be, the perfect romance. Then, Patrick comes into the picture, seemingly the perfect friend for both Marion and Tom.
After going back to the present times, we then get another flashback focusing on young Patrick and Tom, providing an explanation for how these two men met, and how they became close friends first and secret lovers second. The audience watches as the tragedy of their love story plays out before once again coming back to the present times.
“My Policeman” is an accurate and heart-wrenching depiction of being gay in the 1950s, when the punishment for those feelings was a prison sentence. The film had me reaching for tissues multiple times, although it wasn’t entirely sad. There were a lot of heartwarming moments, as well as some scenes that had me laughing more than I originally thought I would.
Additionally, the entire cast is made up of people in the LGBTQ+ community, giving representation to the community that other queer films often lack. The younger characters of Patrick, Tom and Marion are played by David Dawson, Harry Styles and Emma Corrin, respectively. Their older counterparts, in the same order, were played by Rupert Everett, Linus Roache and Gina McKee. Each of these actors expresses their love for their character’s story and have different emotional connections to it that I think are worth reading about.
These people do an excellent job of portraying their characters and give the performance of a lifetime. Not only is the plot itself beautifully well-written, but the cinematography is incredibly gorgeous. “My Policeman” is definitely a film worth seeing.