Cinema Scholars reviews Michael Grandage’s new drama, My Policeman. The film stars Emma Corrin, David Dawson, and Harry Styles. My Policeman is in theaters now and will open globally on Prime Video starting November 4, 2022.
Introduction
There’s nothing quite as uniquely evocative as a tragic love story. Especially one that takes place both in the past and the present. Weaving together a current narrative against emerging context from long ago is a powerful storytelling formula that many classic romantic intrigue films have nailed. Think The Notebook (2004) or Titanic (1997) where a character’s current-day story is juxtaposed against events from their younger years.
This compelling brand of drama also has the bonus of incorporating a period piece in the dual narratives, flashing back to dreamy visions of a bygone era. When done right, revelations about the past give new meaning to the overall plot, creating that captivating combination of nostalgia and allure. In the new forbidden romance My Policeman, director Michael Grandage takes this tried and true template and applies it to a different kind of love story as beautiful and bittersweet as its classic counterparts.
Synopsis
It’s the late 90s in coastal England, and longtime couple Tom and Marion welcome an old friend, Patrick, into their home. Well, at least Marion is welcoming. Tom does not attempt to disguise his chagrin over Patrick’s arrival, reluctantly agreeing to the arrangement due to Marion’s insistence that they owed him this kindness. As the couple wrestles with marital turmoil and Marion deals with the day-to-day care of their former cohort, now a suffering curmudgeon, flashback sequences of the trio’s early years (via Patrick’s diaries) begin to gradually fill in the blanks.
Tom and Marion met like any youngsters in 1950s Brighton, on the rocky beach. Like most young couples of that era, their courtship followed the strict standards and social mores of the day. Outings to the library, the museum, or more “scandalous” hands-on swim lessons at the public pool defined their G-rated relationship. Soon, Tom’s friend Patrick becomes a fixture on many of these outings, engaging Tom and Marion with his cultured lifestyle and knowledge of all things art history. As dating turns to marriage, Patrick’s constant presence begins to drive a wedge between the couple. In a moment of desperation and rightful confusion over Patrick’s role in their marital problems, Marion makes a terrible decision that will haunt all three of them for the rest of their lives.
Discussion
Let’s quit skating around the gist here. The Policeman is a love triangle that defies the traditional archetype by including a same-sex romance as one of its angles. And it is marvelous. Based on Bethan Roberts’ 2012 novel, the film painfully illustrates the impossible plight gay people faced in the last century. While many may look back at the 50s as “the good old days,” those forced to live their lives on the fringe (like English author E.M. Forster whose real-life Ménage-a-Trois inspired Roberts) have a different take on the idealized era. Many eventually married and started families to conform to societal norms and avoid actual legal prosecution, much less alienation from colleagues and loved ones.
My Policeman is the kind of heartbreaking story that only hindsight can properly sort. While it is easy to look back now and gawk at the needless indignity so many suffered, Grandage painfully demonstrates how homophobia and generational conditioning easily superseded romantic freedom at the time. Though society has certainly come a long way, don’t forget that marriage equality still isn’t allowed in much of the world and wasn’t a guaranteed right in the U.S. until 2015.
Aside from important commentary on the pervasive homophobia of the era, My Policeman also gently nods at women’s rights, or rather the lack thereof, in the 50s. It is pointed out that Marion is seen as somewhat of a rebel for continuing to work after marriage. And the level of gaslighting she endures as questions surrounding her relationship arise is just another reminder of the full agency women lacked until the end of the 20th century.
Performances
Despite all the heavy subject matter in My Policeman, a surprisingly beautiful, albeit bittersweet, love story emerges thanks to the incredible performances of its stars. As Marion, Emma Corrin (best known as The Crown’s demure Princess Diana) portrays the headstrong character with a lovely combination of intelligence and naïveté. She’s no clueless waif, but Corrin’s take on the young woman achingly depicts the vulnerability and confusion of a person faced with such a life-altering realization.
David Dawson, last seen in Prime’s All The Old Knives (2022), plays it appropriately cool as My Policeman’s paramour, Patrick. With a portrayal as careful as his character’s discretion, Dawson manages to create a character that is tragically relatable and much more than just “the other man.”
And then there’s Harry Styles as the titular policeman. It would be all too easy to dismiss the pop music heartthrob as stunt casting, but it turns out Styles is undeniably great. While his onstage charm and charisma naturally translate to the big screen, the depth and complexity of his performance as the profoundly conflicted Tom is a delightful surprise. With real-life public nods to sexual and gender fluidity in his fashion and music, Styles’ bold foray into this heavy subject matter, not to mention some seriously spicy romance sequences, seems like a natural fit. And hopefully a harbinger for the continued normalization of diverse romance on screen and off.
Further Analysis
Overall Grandage’s adaptation succeeds as a timely examination of forbidden love under past and present lenses with all the bells and whistles of a traditional heart-sweller. Like all great romances, Grandage gives the story plenty of time to grow and breathe, complete with the sizzling love scenes that might border on gratuitous if not so lovely.
The sometimes literal visual juxtaposition of carefree youth with the difficult present-day situation effectively heightens the overall forlorn feel. And while the modern narrative seems a bit mawkish at times, the tragedy conveyed in scenes from the past helps justify the current melodrama.
Conclusion
Aside from good old solid storytelling, it is important to shine a light on injustices from the past to inform a more equitable future for everyone. At one time producing such a candid and complex love story as My Policeman might have been considered a brave move for Grandage and his team, but hopefully going forward this kind of tale will be seen as any other heartbreaking romance.
My Policeman is showing in theaters now and opened globally on Prime Video, starting November 4, 2022.
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