SXSW London, 2025
Carmen Emmi
plainclothes
Festival Screening
5 JUN CURZON
6 JUN RIXMIX
June, 4, 2025
Andrew and Lucas, two men who meet under strenuous circumstances: Andrew is illicitly cruising the bathrooms of a strip mall; Lucas is an undercover cop on an assignment to catch and arrest men just like him. Still, there is an immediate pull, their connection leading Lucas to confront a long-buried attraction to men, a wave of desire that will have the young cop put his entire life on the line.
Hi Carmen, it-s great to get the opportunity to talk with you ahead of your next big festival screening for Plainclothes. Your World Premiere took place at Sundance at the start of 2025, you got nominated for The Grand Jury Prize and won Special Jury Award / Ensemble. What was the experience like for you and your team getting to share your debut feature at one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world?
Premiering at Sundance was a dream come true. It’s something I’ve wanted since I was a teenager, and the experience surpassed every expectation. The festival is incredibly thoughtful and really goes out of its way to make the filmmakers feel supported and celebrated. One of the best parts was getting to know the other directors and forming friendships with many of them. But nothing will ever compare to that world premiere screening at the Ray, where my family was in the audience with 500 people watching our film for the first time. It was unforgettable. Sundance will always have a special place in my heart.
How important are festivals like Sundance and NewFest in continuing to champion and support new, independent films and filmmakers?
I think festivals like Sundance and NewFest are extremely important… not just because they provide a platform to showcase your film, but because they bring filmmakers together. There’s something really affirming about being seen by other directors who’ve just been through a similar process. That sense of shared experience and mutual respect is something I’ll always value.
What is that experience like as a filmmaker not just sitting with an audience watching your film but to engage with them afterwards, do you still get excited hearing their take on certain scenes or characters?
Watching the film with an audience is an incredible experience. I love hearing where people laugh, where they gasp, where they’re caught off guard — those reactions are electric. But what’s really stayed with me is the conversations afterward. Hearing people open up about their own personal experiences, connecting something in the film to their lives — that’s been one of the most rewarding and surprising parts of the process. I’ve also loved engaging with people on Instagram and continuing those conversations beyond the theatre. It wasn’t something I fully anticipated while making the film, but it’s become one of my favourite parts of the journey.
How did Plainclothes come about, what was it about this story that inspired you to write your screenplay?
Plainclothes began to take shape around 2016. I studied film production at the University of Southern California — and while I’d always dreamed of directing, I quickly realised I’d probably need to write something myself in order to get there. When I sat down to write, I turned inward and asked myself what kind of story I truly wanted to tell.
At the time, I had recently come out and was still finding my footing. I came across an article in the LA Times about police officers entrapping men in Long Beach, California. Around that same time, my brother was becoming a police officer. That intersection of personal and societal tension made something click for me. I realised I wanted to tell a story about what it feels like to police your feelings. Through that research — and through many conversations with my brother — the character of Lucas was born.
As a screenwriter how did you explore the trueness of this story and merge it with the fictional elements that would become your script?
Honestly, it all came pretty naturally. I knew from the beginning that I wanted the story to centre on what it feels like to police your feelings. That’s something I experienced a lot growing up — and not just in terms of queerness, but also in the broader sense of what it means to go from boy to man in our culture. That tension became a huge foundation for the screenplay. So even though the plot has fictional elements, I feel like everything in the script is rooted in emotional truth.
With this being your directorial feature debut did you have any apprehensions about making a film that was inspired by a true story that is also a period film as well?
No, I didn’t really have any apprehensions. Plainclothes is a psychological thriller, so I knew I had some creative leeway in how I approached the narrative. When I think back to my own coming out, some of the details are hazy — partly because of the considerable stress I was under at the time. I wanted to reflect that kind of psychological stress in the medium I love most: film.
We use real police footage in the film, taken from an actual sting operation in Mansfield, Ohio. It was important to me that we handled that responsibly. We secured permission from the Mansfield Police Department to use the footage, and we made sure none of the faces — neither the officers nor the men who were recorded — were visible or could be identified. Protecting their identities was of the utmost importance to me.
How important is the creative collaboration between you and your team when working on a film like this?
Oh, it’s everything. I lived with the script for so long, but I knew that to take it to the next level, I had to collaborate with people I truly admired and trusted. Every department head and their teams approached the story and characters with such care and sensitivity. The 18 days we spent shooting together were some of the happiest of my life. I’ll do anything and everything to get back on set with them one day.
How did you got about casting Plainclothes, had you always known you wanted Russell Tovey and Tom Blyth to star in your film?
I had the privilege of working with an incredible casting team — Bernie Telsey, Adam Caldwell, and Amelia McCarthy. Casting the two leads was the hardest part of the process. I didn’t know Tom Blyth personally, but I learned he starred in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, so I went to see it — and I was immediately struck by how expressive he was with just his eyes. That quality is essential to the character of Lucas.
We met soon after, and it was such a meaningful experience. I visited him while he was filming Billy the Kid in Canada, and I was moved by how much love and respect he had for his cast-mates. I knew right then he was the one to bring Lucas to life and lead this ensemble.
With Russell Tovey, I think I’d been thinking about him subconsciously for a long time. During the pandemic, I watched his performance in Angels in America and revisited Looking and much of his other work. In hindsight, I think I was writing the role with him in mind without even knowing it.
What was the most challenging scene for you to write and then to shoot?
I think the most challenging scene to write was when Lucas sees Andrew for the first time. It’s a wordless moment, so I didn’t want to be too prescriptive on the page — but I still had to give the actors enough to understand what their characters were experiencing. Striking that balance was tricky.
In terms of shooting, there’s a moment in the middle of the film where Lucas’s anxiety comes to a head. I won’t give too much away, but it was incredibly demanding — physically for Tom, and emotionally for both him and Russell. I wanted the scene to play like a fever dream, and that required everyone to really push themselves. It was one of the most intense few days on set.
Did you allow yourself some flexibility with your screenplay once you started shooting or did you prefer to stick to what was written/planned?
For the most part, we really stuck to what was written. I intentionally sought out theatre-trained actors because, in my experience, they have a deep respect for the words on the page. That said, if something didn’t feel right to an actor — if a line didn’t sit naturally with them — I was always open to making changes. It was important to me that the dialogue felt true to the character in their hands.
Looking back now is there anything you would have done differently on Plainclothes?
There are definitely a few things I would have done differently, mostly in the pre-production phase. With the benefit of hindsight, I can see choices I might have approached differently. But at the same time, I truly believe I made the film I was meant to make. And I’ve come away from it with so many valuable lessons that I’ll carry into future projects.
"I’ve also learned the importance of trusting the process. Things will almost always take longer than you expect, and there will be setbacks."
Where did your passion for filmmaking come from?
I grew up surrounded by movies. Both of my grandmothers loved film. My nana would play classics like The Wizard of Oz and The Sound of Music, and my grandma had a huge movie collection I’d dig through constantly. Movies were just always part of my world.
For a long time, I thought I wanted to act — but when I was ten, I asked for a camera, and that changed everything. I fell in love with crafting stories through moving images, and it became the thing I couldn’t stop doing. I feel really lucky, because my family has always supported that love.
With Plainclothes being your first screenplay that you’ve brought to the big screen, what does it say about you and the way you see the world and the films you want to make moving forward?
I’m not totally sure what it says about me, but I hope it reflects a certain sensitivity and empathy. In all of my work, I want to find the truth in the characters I’m exploring. I really believe in the power of film to help people feel less alone — and that will always be my goal, no matter what kind of story I’m telling.
To follow this I would love to know what has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learnt from this process and how that’s going to help you as you continue your filmmaking journey?
I’d say the most valuable lesson I’ve learned is to make sure the script is in the best possible place before moving forward. When the script is strong, it’s easier for everyone — from cast to crew — to see the vision and understand the goal, which is especially important when you’re working on a tight schedule. That kind of unified understanding is essential.
I’ve also learned the importance of trusting the process. Things will almost always take longer than you expect, and there will be setbacks. But at the end of the day, you have to trust your instincts.
What has been the best advice you’ve been given and what advice would you offer a fellow filmmaker?
Get it in writing. I would probably offer that advice to a fellow filmmaker as well.
And finally, what is the message you would like your audiences to take from Plainclothes?
If there’s one message I hope audiences take from Plainclothes, it’s that life is too short to police your feelings.