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Growing up in Syracuse, Carmen Emmi struggled with his identity as a gay man. He repressed parts of his personality and appearance to appear more masculine and straight, he said. In his first feature film, “Plainclothes,” Emmi revisits these feelings to express himself and his experiences on screen.

“I feel like the idea of suppressing your true feelings is universal, not only to the queer experience,” Emmi said. “It was tough remembering those times growing up and identifying the moments when I did suppress my feelings.”

“Plainclothes” will premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 29. Shot entirely in Syracuse, the film is a personal reflection of Emmi’s experience growing up and serves as an ode to the city that shaped him as a filmmaker.

The film follows Lucas (Tom Blyth), a young police officer hiding his attraction to other men. When he goes undercover to lure and arrest gay men, Lucas falls in love with a target, Andrew (Russell Tovey).

The idea came to Emmi in 2016 when his brother was becoming a police officer, and Emmi was beginning to live openly as a gay man. Emmi learned about a sting operation where police officers lured and arrested gay men for alleged indecent exposure in Long Beach, CA, from 2014 to 2016. It was haunting to learn of operations like this, Emmi said, and forced him to confront the reasons he had stayed closeted for so long.

“I don’t want to be toxically positive about it, but in making this and having conversations with members of my cast and crew, we’ve all been able to open up and talk about our shared experience of hiding,” Emmi said. “It was hard, but it was healing.”

Emmi knew he had to film in Syracuse to give the film a personal and authentic touch. Producers suggested other cities, but he said there was no other option. His emotional connection to the town was essential to the film’s story.

There was a method aspect to directing “Plainclothes,” as Emmi quickly placed himself in Lucas’s story and communicated to Blyth the emotions his character feels.

“I knew that being in the space where I experienced these feelings as a boy would automatically help me visually tell the story because I’m so emotionally connected to those memories,” Emmi said.

Courtesy of Kory Mello

Director Carmen Emmi knew “Plainclothes” had to take place in Syracuse to maintain its authenticity. While growing up in Syracuse, he experienced many of the struggles depicted in the film.

Celine Rahman, the assistant costume designer on “Plainclothes,” is a Syracuse University alum and Syracuse native. She said she’s proud of how the film reflects the city. Filming in places like the Landmark Theater and various art galleries around Syracuse made the production nostalgic for Rahman and tied her to the film emotionally. Rahman said being able to create new memories in some of her favorite Syracuse locations made the filming of “Plainclothes” all the more special for her.

Rahman said “Plainclothes” could be a breakout moment for Syracuse and the way people view the city. She hopes people will see the film and be intrigued by its setting and characters. Rahman said Emmi wonderfully captured the vibe of Syracuse and its people.

“It will mean a lot to the people of Syracuse because this is a piece of where we’re all from, where we’ve all come from, or where we’ve been before,” Rahman said. “Everyone will have a special piece to take away from this film.”

Rahman and Emmi were classmates at Jamesville-Dewitt High School. It’s been special for Rahman to watch Emmi grow as a filmmaker and artist since then, and she’s excited to help put Syracuse on screen alongside him.

For Emmi, it was important to present the beauty of Syracuse in “Plainclothes.” People around him used to criticize the merit of things from Syracuse, so he wanted his work to be a strong representation of the city’s attributes.

“I knew in my heart that I wanted to work really hard so that I could show people what the Syracuse community can do and what it could offer. That has always been a personal goal of mine,” Emmi said. “So many beautiful things have come from our city, and I think many beautiful things will continue to come from there as long as we keep that positive outlook.”

The independently-financed film was given just 18 days to shoot. Producer Vanessa Pantley said it was challenging to accommodate Emmi’s vision with the time and money afforded to the production.

Despite these hurdles, the city offered “Plainclothes” several resources to aid in production, creating a supportive environment for a young, inexperienced crew to work in. Shooting in Syracuse was not as frenetic of a process as it would have been in other cities like Chicago, Pantley said. She said it was an advantage to keep stress down and creativity high.

“Because of American High and people shooting regularly, there are a lot of very competent crew that do a great job, but people are still excited to film,” Pantley said. “A lot of the crew still have a lot of energy and excitement to make projects.”

Pantley and Emmi met at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, and they’ve been on the creative journey of “Plainclothes” together since 2021. While the process hasn’t been easy, Pantley said the film’s selection for Sundance has made it all worth it.

“He called me and said, ‘Vanessa, we got in,’ and I was like, ‘F*ck yeah, we’re in.’ So it’s been a long journey, and I’m excited for Carmen’s future because he deserves this,” Pantley said.

Being selected for Sundance came as a significant honor to Emmi, who’s dreamed of it since he was a teenager. He said it’s amazing to see his and his crew’s hard work finally pay off on one of the world’s biggest stages.

While “Plainclothes” began with Emmi lying on his floor, wondering how he could accurately portray a story so personal, it has morphed into much more for him. The writer expressed gratitude and excitement for audiences to finally be able to see the film, which will be available on Jan. 29 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on the Sundance Film Festival website.

“It’s a dream come true. I get emotional all the time thinking about it,” Emmi said. “Our premiere, I just found out, is sold out, which is absolutely wild. I’m just feeling really grateful.”

Published on January 21, 2025 at 10:23 pm