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Even as Don’t Worry Darling continues to perform at the box office, Harry Styles’ next big film is about to release. In My Policeman, Harry Styles plays Police Constable Tom Burgess, a gay man in 1950s England who is torn between his wife Marion, played by Emma Corrin, and his lover Patrick, played by David Dawson.
Based on a book by Bethan Roberts, My Policeman’s official description promises the film to be a “visually transporting, heart-stopping portrait of three people caught up in the shifting tides of history, liberty, and forgiveness.” My Policeman is directed by Michael Grandage and while it is only Grandage’s second feature film, following his 2016 movie Genius, Grandage has extensive experience as a theater director and is currently the Artistic Director of the Michael Grandage Company, skills that he clearly brought with him when directing My Policeman.
The star, Harry Styles, is also relatively new to film, having been in Dunkirk and Don’t Worry Darling prior to this. Of course, Styles is far from a newcomer to the spotlight and has recorded multiple chart-topping songs both as a solo artist and as a member of the band One Direction. He is also considered a fashion icon and has been featured on the cover of Vogue. His costars are no less talented, or less fashionable. Emma Corrin also made the cover of Vogue and was the first nonbinary person to do so. Corrin may be most recognizable to viewers from their role as Diana, Princess of Wales on The Crown. They will also be starring as Lady Chatterley in the upcoming Lady Chatterley’s Lover. David Dawson also has an impressive filmography, having recently been in All the Old Knives, Peaky Blinders, and Ripper Street.
Parts of the film take place in the 1990s after Tom and Marion reconnect with Patrick, as the latter’s health begins to decline. In these sections, an older version of Tom is portrayed by Linus Roache, who audiences may remember as Ecbert of Wessex from Vikings or David Wellington from Homeland, among other roles. Older Marion is played by Gina McKee who played Countess Henrietta Harding in Phantom Thread and the Queen in Neil Gaiman’s Mirror/Mask. Rupert Everett, who plays the older version of Patrick, arguably needs no introduction, having been in everything from Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, to My Best Friend’s Wedding, to An Ideal Husband.
If you’re anxious to see Harry Styles on screen again, here’s your guide on when and where you can see him in My Policeman, on the big screen, and from the comfort of your own living room.
A teaser trailer for My Policeman was released on YouTube on June 15th.
Then on September 7th, a full trailer was released. Scored to Cat Power’s “Sea of Love”, the trailer shows the deep and desperate emotions between Tom and Patrick and also between Tom and Marion. It also shows a glimpse of an older Tom, Marion, and Patrick. The complicated and painful relationships are on full display in the trailer, as are glimpses of the beautiful but moody seaside of Brighton.
Is My Policeman in Theaters?
My Policeman is getting a limited theatrical release and will be in select theaters beginning October 21st. Be sure to check your local theater listings to see where it is playing near you. It has also already been shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, so critics, including Collider’s own Chase Hutchinson, have already had an opportunity to check it out.
Will My Policeman Be Available on Streaming?
We have good news for anyone who can’t get out to the theater to see My Policeman. The film will be streaming on Amazon Prime beginning on November 4th. While Amazon Prime is a subscription streaming service, it regularly offers free or low-cost trials.
Other Films Like My Policeman
Brokeback Mountain – Brokeback Mountain took the film world by storm in 2005, with its passionate and tragic story of two cowboys, Jack and Ennis, and their doomed love in early 1960s Wyoming. In addition to being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, Brokeback Mountain earned a Best Director trophy for Ang Lee and while neither Jake Gyllenhaal nor Heath Ledger won Oscars for their performances, both received well-deserved nominations for their nuanced and affecting performances.
Another Country – Set in a British public school in the 1930s, Another Country is based loosely on the early life of Guy Burgess, a British diplomat and double agent. The main characters are Guy Bennet, an openly gay boy who hopes to rise through the ranks first at school and then in the civil service, played by Rupert Everett (who also plays older Patrick in My Policeman) and his friend Tommy Judd, a Marxist played by Colin Firth, in what was his first film role. The film shows their slow and painful realizations of how deeply homophobia and classism penetrate all aspects of their lives.
Don’t Look Now – This strange 1973 thriller directed by Nicolas Roeg and based on a story by Daphne du Maurier was one of the films My Policeman’s director Michael Grandage asked his cast to watch before filming. Don’t Look Now follows a grieving couple played by Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie as they go on a trip to Venice after the death of their daughter. Strange supernatural events lead the couple to believe they may be able to communicate with their daughter’s spirit, even as grief tears the couple apart.
