Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey’s Spark Ignites The First 'Plainclothes' Trailer, a Queer Romantic Thriller Set in the 1990s

Magnolia Pictures has released the first trailer for Plainclothes, spotlighting the crackling on-screen chemistry between Tom Blyth and Russell Tovey in a queer romantic thriller set amid 1990s police entrapment operations targeting gay men. The trailer introduces Blyth as Lucas, a young undercover cop tasked with luring and arresting men in public restrooms, whose assignment is derailed when he becomes enthralled with Andrew, played by Tovey.

In the official teaser posted by Magnolia Pictures on YouTube, the studio frames the film’s premise succinctly: set in 1990s Syracuse, “a promising undercover cop assigned to lure and arrest gay men defies professional orders when he falls in love with a target.” The teaser emphasizes charged glances and close-quarters tension, underscoring the film’s central conflict between duty and desire.

The trailer’s release builds on early buzz from the year’s first look: in January, LGBTQ+ outlet Out highlighted the teaser’s potent sexual tension and cruising-set encounter that sets the story in motion, establishing the film’s emotionally volatile tone and its focus on queer intimacy under surveillance.

According to ComingSoon.net’s trailer report, Plainclothes is slated to hit theaters on September 19, 2025, with Blyth (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) and Tovey (Looking; Years and Years) leading a cast that also includes Amy Forsyth, Christian Cooke, Maria Dizzia, John Bedford Lloyd, Gabe Fazio, Sam Asa Brownstein, and Darius Fraser. The film marks the feature debut of writer-director Carmen Emmi.

Magnolia Pictures’ teaser description situates the narrative in upstate New York and foregrounds the moral stakes: a closeted officer ensnared by a system of entrapment is forced to choose between professional expectations and the possibility of love. By invoking 1990s-era policing tactics, the film taps into a documented history of vice stings and cruising crackdowns that shaped queer life in public spaces, especially before wide legal protections and cultural shifts of the 2000s.

An official Magnolia Pictures teaser emphasizes the film’s queer romance within a thriller structure, highlighting intimacy as resistance: despite institutional pressure, the characters’ connection challenges a system designed to criminalize queer desire. The clip’s pacing and sound design amplify furtive glances and breathless pauses, cues that underline Blyth and Tovey’s combustible dynamic.

Carmen Emmi writes and directs, with production by Page 1 Entertainment and Lorton Entertainment, according to the trailer write-up. The casting pairs Tovey—known for nuanced portrayals of gay characters across TV and film—with Blyth, whose recent breakout has included emotionally complex roles, positioning the duo to carry a narrative that demands both vulnerability and heat.

While marketing spotlights the chemistry between Blyth and Tovey, the trailer’s hints—charged eye contact, proximity in confined spaces, and an undercurrent of danger—suggest Plainclothes will explore the psychological edges of entrapment and internalized fear alongside an affirming queer love story. For communities who lived through the 1990s policing of cruising spaces, the film’s context will resonate; for younger viewers, it offers a cinematic entry point into understanding how surveillance shaped queer intimacy in public.

According to ComingSoon.net’s report, Magnolia Pictures has set Plainclothes for a U.S. theatrical release on September 19, 2025. Marketing materials emphasize an “electric and intimate” connection at the story’s core—language reflected in the trailer’s editing and performances. Expect additional clips and assets to surface as the release date approaches, including potential featurettes that delve into the film’s historical backdrop and the actors’ approach to portraying desire under threat.