The 'My Policeman' Trailer Promises A Bittersweet Story
Despite the rush of romance to streaming in the wake of Bridgerton, real-life LGBTQ+ love stories are still few and far between in the mainstream. Besides shows like Gentleman Jack on HBO, most are content to stick with fictionalized series like Heartstopper or Love, Victor. But Amazon is going all out with its new film, My Policeman. It stars high-profile A-list actor Emma Corrin (The Crown) and the hoping-to-join-those-ranks Harry Styles (Dunkirk), an imagined retelling of novelist E. M. Forster's attempt at a three-way marriage.
Based on the book of the same name by Bethan Roberts, the story of My Policeman begins with the heterosexual half of the couple, Marion meeting the gentle policeman, Tom, in the early 1950s and falling in love with him, despite recognizing that his true desires lie elsewhere. But when he meets Patrick at the Brighton Museum, an artist who is immediately besotted with him, the three of them work out a deal. As Tom can only marry Marion (and homosexuality is still illegal in the U.K.), the three decide to form a relationship where Marion and Patrick share "My Policeman."
E.M. Forster, famous for writing novels such as A Room with a View, Howards End, and A Passage to India, was not openly gay the way we think of today, but he was not closeted to his close friends. It is known that he had a long-term relationship with a married policeman, Bob Buckingham and that there was a deal worked out with Buckingham's wife to share him. The movie will not stick to the same timeline. The romance takes place in the 1950s and the 1990s, while both Foster and Buckingham passed away in the mid-1970s.
The film's synopsis is as follows:
The film tells a story of forbidden love and changing social conventions that follow three young people – policeman Tom, teacher Marion, and museum curator Patrick – as they embark on an emotional journey in 1950s Britain. Flashing forward to the 1990s, Tom, Marion, and Patrick are still reeling with longing and regret, but now they have one last chance to repair the damage of the past.
Harry Styles plays the lead role of Tom in the 1950s-era part of the film; Emma Corrin will play Young Marion, with David Dawson (Ripper Street) rounding out the triangle as Young Patrick. Linus Roache (Homeland), Gina McKee (The Forsyte Saga), and Rupert Everett (The Happy Prince) play the older and wiser trio in the 1990s. Co-stars include Andrew Tiernan (Innocent), Jack Bandeira (Lockwood & Co.), and Kadiff Kirwan (Timewasters). Michael Grandage (Genius) directed the film from Ron Nyswaner's (Ray Donovan) adapted screenplay.
My Policeman will debut in theaters during the heart of awards season on Friday, October 21, 2022, and will begin streaming on Amazon Prime Video on November 4.
