'My Policeman' review: Harry Styles swings back and forth as bisexual Bobby

English novelist E.M. Forster never married, and why would he? The author of 'Maurice' and 'Howards End' was gay, reportedly had a relationship with a much younger police officer for four decades. This man got married, and the story goes that his wife knows their secret. In "My Policeman," this unconventional arrangement lends itself quite well to one of those slightly stuffy but respectable period pieces of the genre that Ismail Merchant and James Ivory have made of Forster novels, going back and forth in the time between the sexy stuff (with Harry Styles fully embracing the ambiguity of his queerbaiting brand) and the tearful way it resolves so many years later.

It all starts with a special delivery to a dreary seaside cottage: an invalid arrives at a pensioner's policeman Tom (Linus Roache) and his schoolteacher wife Marion (Gina McKee). It was her idea to welcome the obnoxious and uncooperative Patrick Hazelwood (Rupert Everett, almost unrecognizable), whose presence clearly annoys her husband. Tom wants nothing to do with this troublesome old acquaintance, who disappears for long walks while Marion attends to his requests.

Apart from reuniting "The Wings of the Dove" stars Everett and Roache, the framing device contemporary doesn't do much but slow down the flow of more vivid – and sometimes downright gory – flashbacks to when Tom (Styles) and Marion (Emma Corrin) were first married and spent a lot of time hanging out with Tom's more cultured friend Patrick (David Dawson), a museum curator and dabbling artist. Patrick appears to be about a decade older than Tom (Forster was 23 on his beloved bobby), and although Marion is worldly enough to feel he might be funny that way, she doesn't suspect her boyfriend of to be her lover. p>

Screenplay by "Philadelphia" writer Ron Nyswaner — which he adapted from Bethan's novel Roberts, with Michael Grandage ("Genius") directing - shapes this mystery in a somewhat odd way, as the audience probably knows it's a love triangle plot, and Marion harbors some guilt for her role in what happened (so she doesn't have to be completely oblivious), but the filmmakers still want there to be a sense of surprise and discovery as they peel the artichoke one leaf at a time. To that end, modern-day Marion gives herself permission to snoop around Patrick's possessions, uncovering old journals that corroborate what she's always suspected about him, including glimpses of what gay life was like. back then - meeting in clubs, hooking up in back alleys, risking arrest or assault if caught.

"My Policeman" comes to life during its 1950s segments, initially focusing on the origins of Tom and Marion's relationship before delving even deeper into the past to reveal how Patrick got there first, hitting the delightfully innocent young cop with the line, "You know, I'm an amateur artist." When Tom shows up soon after to be drawn, he's wearing his full uniform - but not for long. Patrick follows his lead (it's Tom making the first move), and the ensuing sex scenes are tender but genuine, and they don't skimp on the nudity, which is quite surprising, since the film seems to have was made for an audience that identifies with Marion more than any of these men.

What gives? Well, much of the film is told from her point of view, and even the flashbacks – which are fleshed out (so to speak) by what she reads in Patrick's journals – reflect the naivety with which their marriage began. . At the time, Tom seemed very shy to her. He is terribly clumsy and not at all enthusiastic in bed (with her). But he proposes marriage, and it sounds like the life she wanted, even if it's a bit too much when Patrick shows up on their honeymoon to cook them a meal and confront Tom in the shed. One of Marion's friends clearly knows the score, giving the camera a knowing look during the wedding (in a satisfying didactic scene that comes later, we learn she's a lesbian).

The current part of "My Policeman" is about what remains unresolved, such as the movie "Atonement" with lots of dreams...