Everything to Know About Harry Styles's Period Romance “My Policeman”

Though certain elements of the movie adaptation may differ slightly from the source material, the movie will largely follow the plot of Roberts’s book.

The “My Policeman” book tells the heart-wrenching story of a closeted policeman named Tom (Styles) and his whirlwind love triangle with Marion (Corrin) and Patrick (Dawson). Set in 1950s Brighton, England, Tom and Marion’s seemingly perfect love story turns on its head when Patrick, a museum curator, enters Tom’s life. The two men strike up an affair, but they conceal their love from the world, as homosexuality is still illegal at this point. To avoid any speculation, Tom and Marion tie the knot, while Marion and Patrick agree on an arrangement to share Tom. However, things become increasingly complicated as the throuple reach a breaking point.

The story bounces back and forth between the ’50s and the ’90s, at which point Patrick reenters the married couple’s lives, leading them to recall their tumultuous love affair.

For the scenes set in the ’50s, Styles, Corrin, and Dawson play the central roles of Tom, Marion, and Patrick, respectively. Their older counterparts are brought to life by Linus Roache, Gina McKee, and Rupert Everett, respectively. On June 2, 2021, Deadline reported that “Chewing Gum” star Kadiff Kirwan had joined the cast of “My Policeman.”

“My Policeman”‘s theatrical release is set for Oct. 21, and it will be available to stream on Amazon Prime two weeks later, starting Nov. 4.

While “My Policeman” isn’t a true story, it’s inspired by true events, which Roberts opened up about in an interview with The Guardian in February 2012. Roberts revealed she drew inspiration from the life of novelist E.M. Forster, who wrote novels such as “Howards End” and “A Room With a View.” His passionate and unconventional 40-year relationship with a policeman named Bob Buckingham and his wife, May, set the basis for “My Policeman.”

“A functioning triangular arrangement was firmly established, with the two of them sharing their beloved Buckingham; the long weekends were for May, the short ones for Forster,” she wrote. “Such an arrangement may only have worked in conditions of complete silence about the true nature of Forster’s relationship with Buckingham; but it did, at least, work.”