What were the Hottest Queer Films at Sundance 2025?

'Plainclothes'

Stress, anxiety, and tremendous fear are omnipresent emotions in Carmen Emmi's intense and rich psychological drama, "Plainclothes."

Set in the 1990s, when AIDS was still a death sentence, the film presents a time and place outside of the safer bubble worlds of New York or San Francisco, when most of gay America still had to hide in the closet, especially if their religious-based, ethnically-infused cultures expected – no demanded – that their young men marry and have children.

As late as the early 2000s, police here in the U.S. were still entrapping gay men via sting operations in cruise-heavy places like mall bathrooms.

The film focuses on one super-cute and promising police officer whose job is to go undercover to lure and arrest gay men who hook up in public places (before apps changed everything).

Closeted cop Lucas (Tom Blyth) ends up falling for one of his initial targets, Andrew (Russell Tovey), who is even more deeply closeted than Lucas. Both characters have good reasons for leading their double lives, but can't seem to quit each other, even though Andrew has a strict rule about not having sex with anyone more than once.

The non-linear narrative, as well as Emmi's use of lo-fi VHS footage to denote the paranoia, doubt, dread, and even excitement that Lucas feels, is supremely effective. It all builds to a denouement that is tremendously satisfying.

Blyth does truly astonishing, award-worthy work here. His Lucas is a mix of horny confusion at work and clinginess at play. At home, with his repressive family, he's a ticking time bomb.

Tovey has less to do, but in one of his later scenes he is so emotionally raw and searingly honest that it's impossible not to feel his pain.

Maria Dizzia is heartbreaking as Lucas's oft-conflicted mom.

Along with "Twinless," I can't imagine "Plainclothes" not ending up on many LGBTQ+ best lists.

"Plainclothes" won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast.