Set and shot in his hometown of Syracuse, New York, with family members even making cameos, “Plainclothes” is clearly very personal to writer/director Carmen Emmi. It’s much more than its plot synopsis, which tells of a 1990s period piece about an undercover police officer luring gay men into the crime of indecent exposure. In reality, “Plainclothes” is a meditation on the process of accepting oneself even as society and loved ones deem it wrong.

English actor Tom Blyth, most recognizable from the MGM+ series “Billy the Kid” and “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” impresses as Lucas, the cop. Blythe’s performance is an interior one, where what Lucas does is not as important as how he feels inside. Capturing that is a special gift and Blyth delivers. Early on, it’s obvious that Lucas compartmentalizes his own desires with ease while performing his job.