Pillion, 2025.
Written and Directed by Harry Lighton.
Starring Harry Melling, Alexander Skarsgård, Lesley Sharp, Douglas Hodge, Jake Shears, Mat Hill, Nick Figgis, Zoe Engerer, Jake Sharp, Jacob Carter, and Rosie Sheehy.
SYNOPSIS:
A directionless man is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker takes him on as his submissive.
In writer/director Harry Lighton’s Pillion (adapted from the novel Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones), Harry Melling’s timid gay loner Colin is already verbally abused on the daily by citizens for giving them parking tickets, so when Alexander Skarsgård’s biker-dom Ray not only takes a sudden interest in him, but smolderingly and wordlessly asserts that dominance in a street alley, encouraging him to give oral sex, and then soon after to become his full-time submissive, there isn’t much hesitation to go along with it. There is also no comparing him to the bland and boring guys that Colin’s parents (played by Douglas Hodge and Lesley Sharp) keep arranging for blind dates.
To an outlier, there might not be a whole lot of respect in this dynamic, and anyone watching will likely have some concerns that Colin is so new to this world he might get physically, emotionally, or mentally hurt. Hell, the two don’t even take a minute to create a safe word, although Ray shows initiative and will stop if Colin appears to be in too much pain regarding the BDSM sexual aspect and is afraid to say something. The point is that being a literal servant to Alexander Skarsgård probably beats most of what the hell else is going on in his mundane life. That sentiment probably applies to all of us.
Despite that, and bear with me here, there is also a tenderness to this dynamic. Sure, Colin’s days primarily consist of doing Ray’s shopping, cooking, and sleeping on the floor when they aren’t having sex, or roughhousing amateur wrestling with assless singlets which quickly turns intimate (wrestling has always had a homoerotic flair to it whether some want to admit it or not, so that makes for a nice visual touch here), but Alexander Skarsgård doesn’t play Ray like a creep or mystery man with evil intentions, but rather similarly lonely and incapable of expressing much about himself unless it’s through this biker group BDSM world he gradually ingratiate Colin into.
Ray also knows that what is happening here isn’t love, and even makes sure to reassure Colin of that. However, there is the impression that something about Ray is busted, and that, while it’s clear he genuinely has affection for Colin (note the first time he orders Colin to lie on his back during sex so they can look at each other), romance and sides of him that have nothing to do with kink are difficult for him to show.
While as obedient as can be without ever questioning or contemplating anything he is asked to do, Colin does notice that other doms/subs (with the latter typically marked by chain collars with a lock around their necks) are generally more loving to one another, and their BDSM dynamics are not always on per se. Naturally, this comes to frustrate him, especially since his dying mother already isn’t accepting of how subservient he is to Ray, such as shaving his head and dressing to his preference.
For as erotic as this is (especially the intimacy scenes and Harry Melling’s smile during moments of pure pleasure), Colin’s mom does have a point, as there is reason to wonder how much he is losing himself, or rather putting off finding himself, by being in a dynamic that has reduced him to a servant, not living for anything he personally enjoys. There comes a point when Ray gives in and asks Colin what he would like to do today (no bikes or BDSM), only for him to not necessarily have any suggestions.
Essentially, there needs to be some type of balance here, and that becomes part of Colin’s goal here, while discovering and rediscovering what else fulfills them (he has already left a barbershop quartet despite having a naturally talented ability for singing, all to submit and complete his duties for Ray). One can only assume filmmaker Harry Lighton has some knowledge of this world or his eased himself into it working on Pillion, bringing in real life kink bikers to fill out the supporting cast adding to the lived-in authenticity, but the performances from Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård make for remarkable exercises in speaking through body language and facial expressions, whether it be things that can’t or are too nervous to say out loud.
There are some narrative frustrations here: much about Ray is never learned, further complicating a rushed third act that might have been more emotionally impactful (it still is) if there were time to sit with each character and their decisions, and how they handle the fallout. This also isn’t too much of a hangup, considering Harry Lighton knows exactly what he wants to say about this scene, his characters, and what message to take. Perhaps most surprisingly, Pillion is also highly amusing in this kink scene, without being condescending. Apparently, Alexander Skarsgård referred to it as a dom-com; that tracks, but again, it is also tender, hot, and a poignant look at the necessity to maintain some sense of individuality in these dynamics.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder
