No spoilers ahead- this should be encouragement to go watch the movie, either in theaters or on Prime Video.

   Out now, My Policeman, starring Harry Styles is a wonderful watch. It was marvelous from start to finish even when it was heart wrenchingly sad, and and I highly recommend giving it a try, whether or not you like romance movies. While the plot is driven by romance, there is also a historical side and is more about an internal struggle the policeman faces than anything else. 

    Though seeing Harry Styles is a fun perk, the film would have been just as good without him, if not better. Honestly, as a longtime Harry fan I will be the first to admit that his acting was not the best, but it was still fun seeing him in this role.

   The story opens up with an older man recovering from a stroke being moved into a friend’s house. It seems to be modern day, as they’re living on the coast in England, and you start to sense the dynamic here between the three. 

How their relationships develop and mend makes for an extremely powerful story filled with emotional preformances and an emotional audience response.

   The woman, who  opens her home to him and takes care of him, is willing and caring, but her husband won’t hear of it to the point where he won’t even look at their new guest. 

   It’s okay here to not really know what’s going on (I was very confused) because the characters and their relationships will become clear as the plot continues. 

   These three people are important, as the entire movie revolves around them, with no other characters ever really having significance within the plot. The small cast gets you to focus solely on their relationships, which really is what the film is about at its core.

   Overall, the story is slow and generally focused on the people, not what is happening to them. 

   Right as you get a sense of who’s who, the setting changes to 1950s England, on the beach. This is where the young actors are introduced– Harry Styles, Emma Louise Corbin and soon, David Dawson. 

   What struck me the most about the 1950s scenes with Tom and Marion (Styles and Corbin) was a palpable awkwardness between them. It was almost uncomfortable, and while I felt that this added to my experience watching the movie, I also recognized it to be something my friends didn’t like about it.

   This feeling led well into the next part of the movie, which shows another side to Tom’s life. 

   The third character, the man who had suffered a stroke, comes into the film as a friend of Tom’s, and gives the couple a museum tour. The three of them make a lighthearted, festive group that we see attending concerts, singing in the car, going on trips. For a moment, this is very fun and happy, with the track confirming this feeling. 

   Then, everything changes when we see a new relationship– a romantic one between Tom and Patrick. 

   This relationship is revealed through the eyes of Patrick, through journal entries Marion reads. These journal entries show Tom’s perspective, Patrick’s life before he met Tom, the two of them without Marion. 

   A relationship between Tom and Patrick, other than it being shown in the trailer, is unexpected, as Tom is a policeman in a time where their relationship would have been illegal. This adds to the dynamic, and creates a layer of tragedy, knowing that the two probably won’t get a happily ever after, especially as Tom marries Marion. 

   The rest of the story and how the relationship between Tom, Patrick and Marion unfolds is something you’ll have to watch to find out. 

   Aside from the story, the aesthetics and the soundtrack really make the movie. The shoreside setting alone is gorgeous and fun to watch, and there’s even scenes set in Italy. 

   Thematically, a very beautiful and cohesive look is maintained throughout the film. Think coastal, 50’s, British and forbidden love.

   The soundtrack is filled with classical music and 50’s rock, including Ella Fitzgerald and Dean Martin. The songs pair perfectly with the calming ambiance of most of the movie, until the plot takes a nail biting turn. 

   Overall I recommend you do your best to get over Harry’s bad acting and watch “My Policeman,” even just to make fun of it. Jokes aside, this was a really well done movie with much credit deserved to Styles, Corbin and Dawson for outstanding performances. I can’t wait to watch it again. 

Rating: 7/10