My Policeman

 

My Policeman is a romantic drama set over the course of 40 years. Starting in 1950s Brighton, England during a time when homosexuality was illegal, the story follows three young people as they navigate their lives. Tom, a closeted policeman, falls in love with Marion Taylor, a schoolteacher while simultaneously having a same-sex affair with Patrick Hazlewood, a museum curator. The film stars Harry Styles and Linus Roache as young and old Tom Burgess; Emma Corrin and Gina McKee as young and old Marion Taylor; David Dawson and Rupert Everett as young and old Patrick Hazlewood, all respectively.

I liked the approach in storytelling, it kind of reminded me of The Notebook. The story moved well and there were some great themes around acceptance, forgiveness and love. It would have been nice to see the story go a bit deeper though. It felt very high level.

The costumes and set design were appropriate for the times, which I appreciated. It helped to transport you to the era.

Regarding casting Harry Styles, Emma Corrin and David Dawson worked well together. Harry and Emma had an innocence that was palpable. I like seeing Harry stretch more and play something completely different than anything he had played before. Emma also gave me range, you could see the love her character had for Tom and see the jealousy and fear she had. David played his role similarly to The Last Kingdom, he was more even keel. Gina McKee, Rupert Everett, and Linus Roache did well playing off of one another as well, as the older versions of themselves. They were all similar enough to their predecessors while also showing a bit of how their lives have evolved over time. There was, however, a lack in character development so I wasn’t deeply connected to any of the people. I also had an issue with the lack of diversity. There was no reflection of any people of color in this film which I thought was a missed opportunity. You cannot tell me that there were only White people in 1950s England.

 

In the beginning I wanted to see this movie because of all of the award season buzz around it. Now, after seeing it, I wasn't particularly impressed.