‘Plainclothes’

By Angela Tricarico

After you’ve watched the incredibly charming Tom Blyth as Alex in Netflix’s new rom-com People We Meet on Vacation, consider checking out his leading performance in Plainclothes, which premiered at Sundance in 2025 and shows a completely different side of the actor. In the 90s-set romantic thriller, Blyth plays Lucas, a young police officer tasked with entrapping and apprehending men cruising for sex in mall bathrooms. Things take a turn when the closeted Lucas is drawn to one of his targets, Andrew (Russell Tovey), and the two men begin an illicit affair. Lucas finds himself stuck in his job but desperate for some sort of freedom as things begin to unravel in his professional and personal lives. Utilizing different film and video formats, extreme closeups, and and interesting editing techniques to enhance the story, Plainclothes is ultimately a stressful but rewarding watch from a debut director.

Magnolia Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection