Isn’t it just typical? You wait ages for a Harry Styles movie to come along, and then two pop up at once!
Hot on the heels of Styles’ recent movie, Don’t Worry Darling, the popstar-turned-actor is back in new film, My Policeman. Here he takes on a lead role in an LGBTQ+ romantic drama, placing him alongside Emma Corrin, and David Dawson, as well as a cast that includes Linus Roache, Gina McKee, and Rupert Everett.
Based on Bethan Roberts’ novel of the same name, My Policeman tells the story of a British policeman, who enters into a romantic relationship with a female school teacher, while maintaining a secret romance with a male museum curator. The film looks at the difficulties caused by the two relationships, during an age where homosexuality was forbidden.
In the movie, the year is 1957, and in Brighton amateur artist and curator, Patrick Hazelwood, asks for the assistance of policeman Tom Burgess. Following this chance encounter, the two develop a romantic relationship, which they keep a secret, so not to break the law regarding acts of homosexuality.
A short while later, Tom meets Marion, and they too develop a romantic relationship. However, Tom does not inform Marion about his true feelings for Patrick, and instead passes him off as a friend.
As the months go by, Tom and Marion grow closer and eventually marry. But with Tom and Patrick keen to continue their relationship behind closed doors, it is only a matter of time before Marion becomes aware of the situation and the true reality sinks in.
Directed by Michael Grandage, My Policeman is a heart-breaking tale about the relationship between three people, during a period in history when same-sex relationships were illegal. It looks at the secrecy and intimacy surrounding such a situation, as well as the lies and deception, the heartache and betrayal.
In order to tell its tale, My Policeman straddles two timelines: The late 1990s and the late 1950s. The ‘90s scenes feature an older Tom, Marion, and Patrick, and look at how their lives have panned out; while the scenes set during the ‘50s look at how this trio became intertwined.
For the most part, the movie is fairly interesting and maintains enough momentum to keep things going. However, My Policeman never quite plumbs the depths all of its emotional potential, leaving the movie fine to watch, if somewhat slightly flawed.
The flaws largely centre around the balancing of the characters and the two timelines. The scenes set in both the 1950s and the 1990s have strong moments, and a good cast, but at times the material feels a little uneven and some actors are wasted.
For example, Patrick’s journey during the 1950s is perhaps the most interesting story in play, and actor David Dawson, who plays young Patrick, is the strongest actor for this time period. However, his ‘90s counterpart, as played by Rupert Everett, gets nothing to do, and this feels like a misuse of a strong actor.
Meanwhile, it is Marion’s story during the 1990s which is the best developed, with Gina McKee being the stand-out star here. But on the flipside, the ‘50s version of Marion is not nearly as interesting, with Emma Corrin largely left with a bland role.
As for Tom, his story is central to this whole movie, yet he comes off the worst, irrespective of the time period. The young Tom is played by Harry Styles, who struggles a bit with the material, while the older Tom is played by Linus Roache in a severely underwritten role, which gives him almost nothing to do.
There is one moment in the movie, when Roache has to shed a few tears, which demonstrates how much potential he has in this story. Yet, outside of this scene, his character is saddled with sequences in which he wanders around looking glum, with a face like a wet weekend, and this all seems frankly quite bizarre.
Had a little more attention been paid to fleshing out all these characters (older Tom and Patrick in particular), this would be a much stronger film. But for some reason, not everyone gets a fair crack at the whip and ultimately this leaves the picture feeling uneven.
Moving past the flaws, the film looks good, sounds good, and delivers a story which at times is very emotive. It shows the difficulties of being homosexual during the 1950s, and how the laws of the time were damaging in the past, as well as the years that followed.
This is a story about how three people navigated their lives, under difficult circumstances, and how they were never able to fix their problems because of what occurred in their youth. Had they lived in a different time, and had they not experienced such restrictions when they were younger, then it is likely they would have lived a more carefree existence.
This in itself is a timely reminder that society needs to continue to evolve, to ensure that others don’t encounter the same issues that Tom, Marion, and Patrick experienced. We are currently living in an age where certain politicians and political commentators want to rewind the clock, while overlooking the reasons why we needed to move forward in the first place, and we need to look beyond them and keep pushing ahead.
While My Policeman doesn’t break any new ground or push any envelopes it works for the most part, and despite issues over the handling of its characters, the movie’s heart is in the right place. It isn’t a must-see movie, but it is certainly fine to watch and Gina McKee and David Dawson are both excellent.
Should you wish to check out My Policeman, the movie is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
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