My Policeman

"My Policeman" starring Harry Styles features filming locations in England and Italy. It's in theaters now and starts streaming on Prime Video on November ...

They’re seen in a speedboat on the water and, of course, taking a romantic [gondola ride](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-9688095/Harry-Styles-sports-hair-clips-coiffed-50s-style-locks-Policeman-set-Venice.html) on the canals as well as strolling through the streets. [originally constructed](https://brightonmuseums.org.uk/visit/royal-pavilion-garden/our-history/) in the late 18th century as the eventual King George IV’s residence. [spotted filming](https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/travel/places-to-visit/my-policeman-filming-locations-brighton-9274646) include Regency Square and Brunswick Square. The love-triangle drama follows Tom (played by Styles), a policeman in 1950s Britain who falls in love with a Brighton, England-based teacher named Marion (played by The Crown’s Emma Corrin). Just over an hour north of the city, you’ll also find a 50-meter outdoor pool at The movie—which will be available to stream on Prime Video starting November 4—is based on the [2012 book](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0099555255) of the same name by author Bethan Roberts. Much of the novel is set along England's south coast in Brighton, so naturally, the film follows suit. Tom also begins an affair with museum curator Patrick (played by David Dawson, who appeared on Peaky Blinders). Ahead, take a look at some of the filming locations the production puts on display. [Venice, Italy](https://www.instagram.com/p/CQLOFCnnxHF/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link). Tours of the palace and its gardens are available with the purchase of tickets for an [in-person visit](https://brightonmuseums.org.uk/visit/royal-pavilion-garden/plan-your-visit/), or you can peek inside the structure through a free [virtual tour](https://360rpmt.org.uk/). And instead of an escape to [Palm Springs](https://www.housebeautiful.com/design-inspiration/house-tours/a36552011/sheldon-harte-palm-springs-home/), the film transports viewers to England and Italy.

As long as the LGBTQ+ community faces oppression, stories like My Policeman will stay painfully relevant.

It’s understandable and necessary that marginalized filmmakers and writers have made a concerted effort to tell more than just the trauma stories of their communities. And they need to help join the fight about why we can never return to that.” But it does stand out among the modern landscape of queer media where there’s been a shift toward more lighthearted fare. According to the Florida passed its “ [Don’t Say Gay](https://www.fastcompany.com/90730684/the-stunning-mental-health-fallout-of-dont-say-gay-bills-like-floridas)” law, and Texas governor Greg Abbott’s [attacks on trans youth](https://www.fastcompany.com/90725074/tx-trans-directive) gained serious traction in 2022. Much of My Policeman’s gay love story takes place in 1957, when same-sex relationships were still criminalized in the UK.

This British period melodrama casts the pop star as a policeman in 1950s England, caught between the woman he's courting and the man he loves.

So does the word “policeman,” which is uttered with hard consonants and, often, a hint of a threat. My Policeman makes gestures towards a Rashomon-esque exploration of the construction of memory, cutting between the characters’ shared present and their different perspectives on the past as it methodically dispenses details about the events that led up to the current awkwardness at Tom and Marion’s cottage. The book details the chance meeting and subsequent romance between a much younger Tom (Harry Styles) and Patrick (David Dawson), which began before Tom started courting Marion ( [Harry Styles](https://www.rollingstone.com/t/harry-styles/) as the title character. My Policeman uses a handful of narrative contrivances to draw out the tragic backstory behind this gloomy trio’s fraught dynamic. It’s a film that comes by its stodginess honestly: Violently repressed mid-century Brits who frequent art galleries as a way of cloaking their class anxieties in the guise of “betterment” are bound to be dull.

It has taken nearly a decade and the announcement of a film adaptation starring one of today's biggest pop stars for Bethan Roberts' third novel, ...

faced the “lavender scare” in the ’50s, across the pond in Britain, the home secretary promised to rid England of the homosexual “plague,” leading to a widespread police clampdown and the arrests of thousands of gay men. “For me, that scene will always be in the sea. A reimagining of this endurance of love resulted in My Policeman, which follows a dashing closeted man of the force, his tolerant schoolteacher wife, and a slightly older museum curator who becomes his secret lover. A self-described “middle-aged bookish type,” Roberts knew the star’s name, but it took a Google search for her to realize the scale Styles would bring to the project. The genesis of the novel can be traced to Roberts’s youth, specifically her obsession with James Ivory’s A Room with a View and its lush depictions of vacationing in Italy. [My Policeman](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/a34080102/my-policeman-news-cast-spoilers-date/), to be published in the United States.

It tells the story of a love triangle between a married couple, Marion (Emma Corrin) and Tom (Styles), specifically an affair between Tom and a museum curator ...

Forster and Buckingham met in 1930 in the Oxford vs. The book was only published after Forster’s death in 1971, as he never believed it could be published while same-sex love was illegal and punishable with jail time. They shared holidays, friends, interests, and – on many weekends – a domestic and sexual life in Forster's Brunswick Square flat.” However, just like Charles and Diana, she noted: “This was a relationship in which there were three people.” Despite staying in contact with the Durhams, he later falls in love with Alec. In his later work, some of which wasn’t published until after his death, he began to explore the subject of homosexuality. The novel centres on Marion, who falls in love with Tom, a friend of her older brother, who is the eponymous man-in-uniform.

By focusing on queer narratives of the past, some historical LGBTQ+ dramas lack bravery when it comes to casting light on the present.

The final scenes of the film, too, are genuinely very moving – simple and affecting in their execution. [various headline-making comments](https://www.nme.com/news/music/harry-styles-calls-wasted-time-the-central-theme-in-lgbt-romance-drama-my-policeman-3307979) about the film finally portraying “tender” love-making between two men felt misguided – where has he been for the last decade of chaste, utterly sexless gay love stories? Later in life, an older Marion (Gina McKee) attempts to make amends by inviting a now-elderly Patrick (Rupert Everett) into their home as he recovers from a stroke. His hope is that Patrick can “share” him – but the arrangement quickly and predictably falls to pieces, with devastating results. Until 1967, homosexuality was illegal in the UK, and though Patrick is willing to take enormous risks, Tom instead marries quiet, mousy school teacher Marion to keep up appearances. By focusing on queer narratives of the past, some historical LGBTQ+ dramas lack bravery when it comes to casting light on the present.

The film is Harry Styles' second new release of the year following Don't Worry Darling earlier this month.

The Independent’s Jessie Thompson, who rated the film two stars, said: “Harry Styles is criminally bad in this clunky, ineffective period drama”. Styles’ legion of fans, meanwhile, have other opinions, with many using social media to share their praise for the actor. Some of the industry’s top critics have dubbed the film underwhelming. With many critics giving it a solid two-star rating, it sits at just 40% on the popular reviews site Rotten Tomatoes. The film boasts a star-studded supporting cast with Rupert Everett, Gina McKee and Linus Roache also appearing. Harry Styles' latest film, My Policeman, releases in cinemas across the UK today.

The hotly-anticipated Brighton-based My Policeman led by Harry Styles, Emma Corrin, and David Dawson hit theatre screens today (October 21) following a ...

Four decades later Patrick re-enters the lives of now-married Marion and Tom which forces the threesome to revisit their love affair. At the time, however, homosexuality was illegal and the trio begin a life as a ménage a trois, but this comes with complications. The movie premiered last night (October 20) at Brighton’s Duke of York cinema where Bethan Roberts appeared for an author Q and A. It traces the narrative of a love triangle between a woman and two men, one of whom is a policeman, and who live in Brighton themselves. [Brighton-based My Policeman](https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/beautiful-part-brighton-hove-harry-6909178) led by Harry Styles, Emma Corrin, and David Dawson hit theatre screens today (October 21) following a year-long wait since the stars were spotted filming on Sussex streets. Madeira Drive was then next up on the list of locations to offer an iconic view of the city for the 1950s-based drama. Dozens of photos and videos emerged soon after of filming at Regency Square and Montpelier Road. [The best places to live in Sussex in 2023 have been named](https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/news/sussex-news/best-places-live-sussex-2023-7727812) [Life in Sussex’s burglary hotspot that’s also among Brighton’s most popular destinations](https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/news/sussex-news/life-sussexs-burglary-hotspot-thats-7691668) [The lifeless shell of the old Crawley Morrisons that no one knows what to do with](https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/news/sussex-news/crawley-morrisons-empty-retail-unit-7719031) [Controversial plans for 475 homes at Goring Gap could still go ahead](https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/news/sussex-news/controversial-plans-homes-goring-gap-7722438) [Latest steps announced in plan to revamp 'tired' coastal village](https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/news/sussex-news/latest-steps-announced-plan-revamp-7725901) [Brighton](https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/all-about/brighton) and [Hove](https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/all-about/hove), as well as in [Worthing](https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/all-about/worthing). Characters Marion (Emma Corrin) and policeman Tom Burgess (Harry Styles) live a happy life as a couple in Brighton until Tom develops feelings for museum curator Patrick Hazelwood (David Dawson). [The best places to live in Sussex in 2023 have been named](https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/news/sussex-news/best-places-live-sussex-2023-7727812) [University of Chichester](https://www.sussexlive.co.uk/all-about/university-of-chichester) alumni Bethan Roberts.

Insiders on the set of Harry Styles new film My Policeman talk to Grazia about the movies sex scenes. Read more on Grazia.

[speculation over Styles’ sexuality](https://graziadaily.co.uk/life/in-the-news/harry-styles-sexuality-come-out-bisexual-gay-obsession/) - a public obsession that needs to stop. ‘I think everyone, including myself, has your own journey with figuring out sexuality and getting more comfortable with it,’ he previously told [Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/) in reference to the film. Adding he hopes their performances make viewers feel ‘a little bit of gratitude you’re not around in the 1950s when it was illegal to love who you wanted to love.’ One word of warning, it’s a tearjerker: ‘Get ready to cry,’ he said. Starring opposite Emma Corrin and David Dawson, Styles plays a closeted policeman caught in a love triangle with his wife (Corrin) and forbidden love (Dawson) who he falls for in 1957 - when homosexuality is still heartbreakingly illegal. ‘I was worried, to be honest, that they might tone down the sex, but they really haven’t’ Roberts told Grazia of the adaptation.

Fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of My Policeman, which sees Harry, 28, star as police officer Tom and Emma Corrin as his wife Marion.

The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/oct/20/my-policeman-review-em-forster-michael-grandage-love-triangle) [My Policeman, review: Harry Styles is far from arresting as a bisexual bobby Emma Corrin Michael Grandage](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/policeman-review-harry-styles-far-arresting-bisexual-bobby-emma/) [‘My Policeman’ Review: Two Love Affairs, Equally Tragic - The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/20/movies/my-policeman-review.html) [Subscribe to read The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/my-policeman-review-harry-styles-b2207513.html) [My Policeman review – poignant tale of a love triangle inspired by EM Forster’s own Harry is throwing himself into this new role and is really excited about the challenge, even though it's a daunting task. He goes on to enjoy a romance with museum curator Patrick Hazelwood (David Dawson). An insider said: 'Harry will be having sex on screen and they want it to look as real as possible. Financial Times](https://www.ft.com/content/aa788fe2-42a7-4248-b9ed-8c7d6a10e11f) Without one, it just doesn't work,' she concluded in the two-star review. It reminds me a little of Mick Jagger's movie acting.' [awarded My Policeman with a three-star review but said the period drama 'missed the mark' at reflecting on society before homosexuality was decriminalised.](https://www.ft.com/content/aa788fe2-42a7-4248-b9ed-8c7d6a10e11f)awarded My Policeman with a three-star review but said the period drama 'missed the mark' at reflecting on society before homosexuality was decriminalised. Not impressed: But The Times did not appear overly impressed by My Policeman, giving it a mere two-star review and deeming Harry's performance as 'far from arresting' He penned: 'First there was his waxily robotic husband in Don't Worry Darling, and now we're stuck with his frustrating immaturity in My Policeman, the effortfully glum tale of a bisexual bobby in the homophobic 1950s.' Brian Viner slammed Harry Styles' role in My Policeman as 'not very arresting' as he appeared underwhelmed by the film, giving it a mere two-star review.

Harry Styles and David Dawson share some intimate scenes in upcoming film My Policeman, and the pair seemingly had fun while shooting them.

But we all just had a laugh, because that’s the best way to deal with it.” “I’ve been lucky enough to work with a lot of high-profile people over the years. And I got all of that and more in Harry.” It will then be released to stream on-demand on However, according to Dawson, the scenes were a very light-hearted affair. However, he soon begins a passionate same-sex affair with a museum curator (David Dawson), in spite of homosexuality being illegal.

Harry Styles, Emma Corrin and David Dawson star in an absorbing, resonant, deeply wistful adaptation of the 2012 novel "My Policeman."

Meanwhile, Tom, his unsuspecting girlfriend, Marion ( [Emma Corrin](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/awards/story/2021-08-25/words-from-mum-help-emma-corrin-overcome-struggles-on-the-crown)), and the worldly Patrick form a kind of troika and share an ebullient series of summertime adventures. [Ron Nyswaner](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-02-17-ca-24208-story.html) (“Philadelphia,” “The Painted Veil”). In addition, there’s something of a disconnect between the younger and older Tom’s personalities; their essences don’t fully align. Dawson also cuts a provocative, empathetic figure. It may not make for a hugely surprising turn but still one that’s beautifully understated and satisfying. [COVID-19 pandemic](https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.latimes.com%2Fcalifornia%2Fcoronavirus-everything-to-know-right-now&data=04%7C01%7Ckevin.crust%40latimes.com%7C52633c0a516544dd252a08d9e81168f0%7Ca42080b34dd948b4bf44d70d3bbaf5d2%7C0%7C0%7C637795983749169191%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=EARyZgH1vGMtlQdur%2F61n5fLiwKXExOWtv3guJOFSn8%3D&reserved=0). The intoxicating love “that dare not speak its name” between the two men is almost tangibly compelling. There’s a gentle guilelessness and quiet charm to Tom’s 1950s self that seems to have vanished from the surlier, more remote 1990s version (no fault of the capable Roache), the enduring and complex fallout of his affair with Patrick notwithstanding. [Harry Styles](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2022-05-19/harry-styles-harrys-house-new-album-review)) has a chance encounter with local museum curator Patrick (David Dawson) that turns into something much more than a friendship. For the onetime bobby, who’s pretty much shut away the “Patrick” chapter of his earlier life, the mere presence of his ex-lover — profoundly debilitated though he may be — is clearly too much for Tom to bear and he refuses to see him (not easy in such a small house). But when Tom and Marion marry, said trio turns into a pair of duos — and dueling ones at that — and the inevitable emotional, social and [sexual complications](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-06-09/harry-styles-my-policeman-gay-sex-scenes-grandage) ensue, including one extraordinarily grave betrayal. Because moviegoing carries risks during this time, we remind readers to follow health and safety guidelines as [outlined by ](https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fprevent-getting-sick%2Fprevention.html&data=04%7C01%7Ckevin.crust%40latimes.com%7C52633c0a516544dd252a08d9e81168f0%7Ca42080b34dd948b4bf44d70d3bbaf5d2%7C0%7C0%7C637795983749169191%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=nefWQMdwU7TqNLnZDM1Kl%2F2rkP%2B5PyDh27paB0RaQGU%3D&reserved=0) [the CDC](https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fprevent-getting-sick%2Fprevention.html&data=04%7C01%7Ckevin.crust%40latimes.com%7C52633c0a516544dd252a08d9e81168f0%7Ca42080b34dd948b4bf44d70d3bbaf5d2%7C0%7C0%7C637795983749169191%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=nefWQMdwU7TqNLnZDM1Kl%2F2rkP%2B5PyDh27paB0RaQGU%3D&reserved=0) and [local health ](https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpublichealth.lacounty.gov%2Fmedia%2FCoronavirus%2Fguidances.htm&data=04%7C01%7Ckevin.crust%40latimes.com%7C52633c0a516544dd252a08d9e81168f0%7Ca42080b34dd948b4bf44d70d3bbaf5d2%7C0%7C0%7C637795983749169191%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=BCwyz5tpzXL3GixUXtBNZq2BJL8bzjSg4pezYCdtZOA%3D&reserved=0) [officials](https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpublichealth.lacounty.gov%2Fmedia%2FCoronavirus%2Fguidances.htm&data=04%7C01%7Ckevin.crust%40latimes.com%7C52633c0a516544dd252a08d9e81168f0%7Ca42080b34dd948b4bf44d70d3bbaf5d2%7C0%7C0%7C637795983749169191%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000&sdata=BCwyz5tpzXL3GixUXtBNZq2BJL8bzjSg4pezYCdtZOA%3D&reserved=0).

In the film based on Bethan Roberts' novel, a policeman named Tom (Styles) falls in love with an art museum curator named Patrick (Dawson) following a chance ...

Flashing forward to the 1990s, Tom (Linus Roache), Marion (Gina McKee), and Patrick (Rupert Everett) are still reeling with longing and regret, but now they have one last chance to repair the damage of the past. Based on the book by Bethan Roberts, director Michael Grandage carves a visually transporting, heart-stopping portrait of three people caught up in the shifting tides of history, liberty, and forgiveness. Emma Corrin: I hope that it inspires conversations among people who've seen it about how recent this was that these laws existed and that people were so restricted in their freedom to be who they are. My Policeman, directed by Michael Grandage, explores the joy and pain of a queer love story set in 1950s England, while the narrative also shifts to the 1990s in which older versions of Marion (Gina McKee), Tom (Linus Roache), and Patrick (Rupert Everett) reckon with their complicated past. They get on incredibly well and there is so much chemistry and the genuine love for each other — which I think makes it all the more heartbreaking for Marion when she learns of his betrayal. [The Crown](https://screenrant.com/tag/the-crown/) season 4, a performance that earned the actor a Golden Globe Award and an Emmy nomination.

My Policeman's Gina McKee speaks on playing the older version of Marion, coordinating with Emma Corrin, and how she viewed the character's dilemma.

Flashing forward to the 1990s, Tom (Linus Roache), Marion (Gina McKee), and Patrick (Rupert Everett) are still reeling with longing and regret, but now they have one last chance to repair the damage of the past. I think there's no doubt that there's hope for Marion, and I hope that Patrick and Tom can find what they need together. But I think ultimately what she has to admit is that their love is born out of solace and that solace, although it's been a very useful, comforting retreat, it can't be forever. I think that makes for a wonderful challenge as a performer that you have a lot of nonverbal communication which is raging, but on the outside, you've got everyday life being presented. I think the distillation of having to work that way was good because it really makes you focus. Gina McKee portrays the older version of Emma Corrin's Marion, a schoolteacher who finds herself immersed in a love triangle with her husband Tom (Harry Styles), a closeted gay policeman, and Patrick (David Dawson), a museum curator.

Harry Styles isn't quite up to the challenges of this drama about a taboo gay romance in 1950s England.

And in “My Policeman,” Styles sheds all traces of celebrity to play an entirely ordinary person: a beat cop in 1950s England, navigating and resisting his true desires as he becomes embroiled in a complicated love triangle. “Don’t Worry Darling” presented any hints of swagger or glamour as a bad performance on the part of his character—albeit one that had the unfortunate effect of encouraging viewers to wonder whose bad performance they were really witnessing. [Harry Styles](https://www.chron.com/culture/music/article/harry-styles-austin-texas-17467973.php).