In the immortal words of Rihanna, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but chains and whips excite me.” Words that embody Pillion, the bold and unapologetically kinky directorial debut of Harry Lighton. An offbeat romantic comedy, exploring the journey of a young man finding his way into the gay BDSM scene. Adapted from Adam Mars-Jones’s novella Box Hill, the film zeroes in on a specific, often overlooked subculture within the queer community. Yet, despite its niche subject matter, Pillion offers a surprisingly universal and nuanced look at first love and complicated relationships.
So it goes for Colin (Harry Melling), a shy barbershop quartet singer living in Bromley, South East London, with his Mum (Lesley Sharp) and Dad (Douglas Hodge). Colin is a painfully shy parking attendant who, when out on a blind date arranged by his terminally ill mum, is swept off his feet by an intimidatingly handsome biker named Ray (Alexander Skarsgård). Dressed head to toe in biker leathers, Ray is impossibly tall, strong, and comfortable in his own skin. He invites Colin to meet him around the back of the local Primark for a Christmas Day fool-around. There’s a tense moment where we’re not exactly sure what Ray is looking for, but once he unzips and reveals a domineeringly hot leather onesie, Colin’s face lights up with the magic of Christmas joy. Colin sweetly misinterprets their first few meetings as dates, shyly offering Ray a box of chocolates—which, of course, Ray doesn’t eat or accept. Colin soon realises that Ray is part of a gay sub/dom biker community, where the roles of servant and master are firmly established.
Before he knows it, Colin becomes a live-in servant for Ray. He settles keenly into his new roles, with Ray describing him as someone with an ‘aptitude for devotion’. He happily does Ray’s cleaning and cooking, sleeps on a rug at the foot of his bed, and wears a heavy padlock around his neck to which Ray has the only key. Their roles within the relationship are very clean-cut and fixed; it’s the sex that makes things a little more complicated. As they are awkwardly getting to know one another, Lighton cuts to a startling wrestling scene, in which Ray throws a bare-assed Colin around the room, dominating him into sexual submission. In another sequence, we see Colin and Ray attend a day at the lake with other members of Ray’s biker gang, where the submissives wait, bent over folding tables naked and patiently, for their master’s attention. The sex is spine-tinglingly intense and passionate, and both Ray and Colin’s pleasure is palpable through the screen.
Yet through this lustful lens, Lighton explores the mutual needs that exist within any relationship in Pillion. As a newcomer to the scene, and simply happy to bask in the warm glow of Ray’s attention, there’s a sense that Colin doesn’t fully understand—or realise—that even as the submissive, his own needs and desires are still valid. “I am happy, Ray. I could just be happier,” he says quietly after the lake trip, following a conversation with another submissive who is surprised to learn that he and Ray don’t kiss. While both men clearly enjoy the sex and their defined roles, it becomes increasingly evident—especially as Colin shyly asks Ray to meet his mum and dad, or quietly longs for intimacy and emotional connection—that the relationship is growing unequal, and perhaps even toxic.
One of Lighton’s strengths as a director is the deep understanding he has of his characters, particularly the lens of dignity he consistently holds over Colin. Although Colin is a comical character, sweet and pitiful in his naivety, his emotions remain at the heart of Lighton’s narrative in Pillion. We’re never invited to laugh at him or see him as a fool. Instead, Lighton gradually reveals the complexities of a relationship where one false move could cause the fragile dynamic to collapse. “You couldn’t upset me if you tried,” Ray tells Colin: an offhand comment that lands like a gut punch, affirming that he feels no emotional connection, despite the tender moments they share throughout the film that suggest otherwise. In this subtext, Lighton maturely explores how, despite the circumstances, a relationship can turn toxic if it lacks honesty, communication and mutual fulfilment.
Pillion bakes its ideas into a hot and horny narrative, but equally contrasts these moments with some endearing comic relief. There’s Colin’s mum and dad, who are so supportive and helpful in Colin’s mission to snag a man. Colin’s dad lovingly lends him his tatty, vintage biker jacket so he might impress Ray, makes the typical embarrassing jokes parents make around your crush, and bashfully agrees that Ray is extremely handsome. Alexander Skarsgård, with his intrinsic ability to make audiences squirm in their seats, is a dreamy bit of casting. For a Hollywood hunk, Skarsgård is making such exciting and unorthodox choices as an actor and is thrilling to watch him work here.
However, it’s Harry Melling who really holds the show together. Since emerging from his time as Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter franchise, Melling has become more interesting with each on-screen outing. As Colin, he nails the role of a sexually inexperienced BDSM newbie, bringing a comical vulnerability that makes even the most X-rated scenes feel accessible. In his bashful facial expressions and twinkling eyes, he gives the film an honest and heartwarming glow, which is reminiscent of the quiet, awkward strings we endure for a first love.
Pillion feels like wrapping your body around the hulking leather-clad body of a biker and feeling the thrill and vibrations of his bike course through you as you zip along the road. It’s a confident and extremely bold feature debut which encapsulates the universal experience of trying to date an emotionally unavailable man and what you learn along the way.
★★★★
Screened at the 2025 BFI London Film Festival / In UK cinemas on November 28th / Harry Melling, Lesley Sharp, Douglas Hodge, Alexander Skarsgård / Dir: Harry Lighton /Picturehouse Entertainment / 18
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