Pillion: Where Intimacy and Power Quietly Collide

Pillion is the starry, sweet and sexy debut feature by exciting prospect Harry Lighton. The film follows Colin, a slightly aimless young man, who begins to engage in a relationship with Ray, a tall, statuesque biker. The pair enter a submissive relationship in a film that explores a world little represented on screen, with an unexpected tenderness.

What instantly struck me in Pillion was the power of the two central performances. At the core of this narrative is Colin, portrayed by Harry Melling with an intense innocence and charm. Colin is our way into this world of homosexual biker gangs and sub-dom relationships, and Melling is more than up to the task, holding the audience’s hand with humour and heart in a way that very quickly has us rooting for his character. Melling and Lighton are careful never to look down on Colin. There is a naivety to Colin’s actions within the narrative, but Melling provides such charm and wide-eyed hopefulness that we too find ourselves becoming naïve to the reality of the central relationship.

Melling is accompanied by Alexander Skarsgård, who delivers a pitch-perfect performance on the opposite end of this power dynamic. Skarsgård’s Ray initially comes across as cold, stoic and possibly even sinister. This contrast sets in motion the development of both men. Where Melling’s performance grows in confidence with each passing scene, Skarsgård’s Ray moves in the opposite direction. Each moment peels back a layer of his hard exterior to reveal an emotionally vulnerable, if not especially talkative, character. This continual shift in power keeps the relationship compelling. Skarsgård’s quietness is used not only as a narrative tool, but also as a way of demonstrating the delicate ways in which a man can project strength and insecurity at the same time. Together, the pair work beautifully in roles that are both physically and emotionally demanding, forming a relationship you want to succeed even when you do not fully understand the conditions of their love.

When you hear that a film explores the intricacies of a submissive–dominant relationship, the mind may drift to the glossy BDSM dramas of recent years, such as Fifty Shades of Grey. What Pillion delivers instead is one of the most heartfelt cinematic experiences I have had this year. Never shying away from the realities of this kind of relationship, the film approaches alternative culture with sincerity, using awkward situations and sexual encounters to make the audience laugh as much as think. Lighton constructs a narrative that guides viewers through this relationship with care, never sacrificing the credibility of the culture he is portraying.

Much of the humour comes from the mundanity with which Colin and Ray’s relationship is presented. Ray’s control over Colin could easily become suffocating or melodramatic in another film, but here it is used as a comedic strength, highlighting the unfamiliarity of this dynamic for an average viewer. The comedy often emerges from our own assumptions and prejudices, encouraging us to approach a culture like this with greater openness and thoughtfulness.

Overall, Pillion is a gorgeous and funny romance, with a heart as big as a motorbike’s engine. It is a debut feature that leaves me excited to see what comes next from Harry Lighton, Harry Melling, and Alexander Skarsgård.

In Cinemas across London and the UK now.

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[Image Credit | BFI Southbank]

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