Imagine living in times when homosexuality was considered a crime in the United Kingdom. “My Policeman” is set in late 1950s England, when many kept their sexuality under wraps for fear of arrest. Tom, a policeman, and Patrick, a museum curator, fell in love the day they set eyes on one another. It was difficult for them to keep their hands off each other. When Marion, a schoolteacher, started courting Tom, she was blindsided by her attraction towards him, and she couldn’t see that something was brewing between Tom and Patrick. Surprisingly, it took Marion a while to realize that Tom and Patrick liked each other. Marion, throughout her dating period with Tom, was intellectually attracted to Patrick but emotionally attracted to Tom. Marion’s wedding to Tom is proof of why she always thought Tom was the one for her, who let her be without any judgments, and she genuinely believed he loved her.
On the surface, Marion initially thought her marriage was perfect. Her friendship with Patrick grew stronger, although she was surprised that Tom was not jealous of her friendship. On discovering Patrick and Tom’s affair and their subsequent trip to Italy by fooling her, Marion is in complete denial about the affair. Patrick and Tom, on the other hand, continued their relationship after Tom’s wedding. Patrick’s audacity to whisk him away to Rome under the pretext of work without wondering if Marion might get suspicious made Marion angry and jealous. Marion’s old-school mindset brought out the worst in her as she went on a stubborn path toward making her marriage work with Tom.
Decades later, Marion decided to let Patrick recover at her and Tom’s home after he suffered from a stroke. Tom’s distant behaviour made her wonder if Tom was being petty by not helping their old friend Patrick or if he was feeling guilty and ashamed for abandoning Patrick at the time of his grave need. Now that Patrick was here at his home, recovering, recuperating, and asking for Tom, Marion came to the realization that Patrick’s love for Tom had never faded away, and it was about a time when she came across a moment when she realized Tom’s love for Patrick never died either. Tom broke down upon seeing a gay couple, happy and sorted in their lives, which Marion noticed. Tom longed to live his life on his terms. But circumstances, his job, and his life were at stake, which made him settle for a marriage with Marion, coming to terms with the fact that he might never be able to live his life the way he wants. Seeing Tom visibly upset over a happy gay couple finally made Marion come to terms with the fact that Tom always yearned to be with Patrick and live happily as a loving couple. Marion also realized her one mistake of revealing Patrick’s sexuality which separated Tom and him forever. It was now, decades later, that she finally came to terms with the fact that Tom and Patrick still loved one another. Patrick was vocal about it, but Tom’s yearning silence made Marion finally realize her marriage with Tom was over.
Marion conveyed the only reason for her to bring Patrick to their home was to make up for her mistakes and repent over the fact that she was selfish to have broken up Tom and Patrick the way she did. Marion was now aware of Tom and Patrick’s love. Marion’s self-serving act led to years of separation between Tom and Patrick. On the other hand, Tom saves his life from going up in flames but never admits his love for Patrick, which makes Marion go ahead and break Patrick’s heart. Tom was stuck in a loop of conventional marriage and heterosexual companionship, and Marion, decades later, decided to free him of the obligation he thought he had towards Marion and society and also made it clear to him that he belonged to Patrick, who needs him now more than ever. Since Patrick’s sent to jail, Marion and Tom did not exactly have a perfect marriage; she was drowning in guilt, while Tom was ashamed of the fact that he abandoned Patrick. Since then, it left a void in their marriage, but they remained friends and looked out for each other.
Marion strongly believed it would be wrong for her and Tom to be together, knowing that Tom was still in love with Patrick. She had separated them once, and she could not live with that guilt again. Marion left with the hope that Tom would finally take care of Patrick out of sheer love and not out of obligation. After walking out on her marriage with Tom, Marion was free of the liability that was sitting on her chest like a heavy stone. She was beyond elated to have reunited long-lost lovers who were always meant to be together.
