Pillion

Harry Lighton's Pillion, adapted from Adam Mars-Jones' novel Box Hill, is not your typical queer love story. It's messy, erotic, and sometimes uncomfortable - but that's exactly what makes it so compelling.

The film follows Colin (Harry Melling), a socially awkward parking attendant whose life takes a sharp turn when he meets Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), a confident, enigmatic biker. Their relationship quickly develops into a Dom/Sub dynamic, with Colin stepping into the submissive role. What could have easily been played for shock value instead becomes a complex portrait of power, vulnerability, and desire.

Melling is excellent, embodying Colin's quiet neediness and his awkward search for identity with a mix of humor and heartbreak. Skarsgård, meanwhile, brings a fascinating ambiguity to Ray. He's commanding and often intimidating, yet there are fleeting moments of softness that suggest a man not entirely at ease with his own dominance. Watching the two interact feels raw and unpredictable, almost like eavesdropping on something private.

Lighton's direction balances intensity with sensitivity. The sex scenes are explicit but not gratuitous - they feel integral to the story, expressions of intimacy rather than spectacle. At times the film risks overwhelming its audience; certain sequences are deliberately discomforting, pushing boundaries in ways that won't be for everyone. But there's also humor, tenderness, and a sharp eye for the absurdity of human relationships, which keeps it from becoming too heavy.

If there's a weakness, it's in the pacing. The middle portion is the most engaging, while the resolution feels a bit predictable. Still, Pillion lingers long after it ends. It's a film about longing, shame, and the strange forms love can take when we surrender control.

Not easy, not polite - but unforgettable.

When I learned Adam Mars-Jones' Box Hill was being adapted into a romantic comedy, I was baffled because the novel contains very little typical romance or comedy. Instead, it has plenty of heartbreak and loss. But Harry Lighton's script builds on the source material in an extraordinary way: he moves the story from the 1970s to the modern day, makes Ray American, and avoids the novel's very dramatic ending, instead leaning into a coming-of-age story, which brings out comedy and sweetness of the relationship. This version gives Colin dignity. He finds himself and establishes his boundaries. Colin's parents are given a unique arc: they start as supportive parents of their son's sexuality, but throughout the film they are less accepting of Colin and Ray's relationship.

The last shot of Ray will stick with me for a while. Absolutely loved it.

Only a chance for one film this weekend, so I went for one I was surprised was coming out in our relatively small and risk averse multiplex, "Pillion". I enjoyed it, even if perhaps it doesn't have the sort of story focus that I like.

Shy young gay man Colin (Harry Melling) begins a relationship with Ray (Alexander Skarsgard) an impossibly handsome biker, part of a local gang. Though never explicitly discussed, the relationship includes a domination aspect. This extends not just in their sex life, but in the domestic chores too and Colin comes to understand that the BDSM style relationship is a lifestyle favoured by all of the bikers. Whilst Colin is always a willing participant in the dynamic, he does come to crave a few more concessions to a traditional relationship, that Ray is unwilling to provide.

As I say, I think I'm more inclined to overlook the failings of a film if it has a compelling story, than I am with something like this, where the story is slim, and perhaps even frustratingly vague at times, in order to provide a more in depth look the characters. Despite perhaps not being the sort of journey I was expecting, I did think, for all the explicitness of the sexual liaisons, it's actually quite a romantic film at heart. Colin is besotted with his handsome lover in a way that initially overcomes any resistance that he might otherwise have had to the power dynamic in their relationship. Ray is damaged, in a way that's never explained, and in the end the relationship as it is is all that he can cope with.

Performances are great and the direction and script are strong, at the end though I came away just a little unsatisfied that more answers about the whole situation weren't forthcoming.

Enjoyable depiction of kink, problematic relationships, and a journey of self discovery.

Very funny, relatable, especially if you've got personal experience. And quite emotional, for the same reasons.

Sex scenes are solid, they're not too much.

I really enjoyed my time with it, and would definitely recommend it!

Despite never having found myself in such bizarre circumstances I can whole heartedly relate to our characters Collin (Melling) and Ray (Skarsgard). It's utterly tragic and hilarious on all the right notes- all to land on a profound human measure between the characters and the audience. We all have a deep longing in our hearts; no matter how desperate or disillusioned you may be.