Pillion (2026)
Directed by: Harry Lighton
Premise: Colin (Harry Melling) takes up a dominant/submissive relationship with Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), a handsome but emotionally aloof biker. Their relationship is one sided, leaving Colin craving more.
What Works: Pillion is a frank exploration of a specific kind of relationship. Colin is a nice but timid character who finds what he’s looking for in a dominant/submissive relationship. Sexuality is part of it but as depicted in Pillion, the needs and expressions of a dominant/submissive relationship are broader and deeper than just carnality. Colin’s submissiveness is all encompassing and Ray has him cooking and cleaning and completing other domestic chores. From the outside this looks abrasive and mean on Ray’s part and some moments are cold but actors Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård reveal a lot in the nuances of their performances. The sexuality of Pillion is very explicit but these scenes are also honest and deliberately staged. The filmmakers frame the action to emphasize what is happening between these two men. There is a romance to their relationship that’s not immediately obvious but will be unmistakable to attentive viewers. As a story about a relationship, Pillion acknowledges that we’re never just in a relationship with one person; we’re also in it with that person’s family and friends and the scenes of Ray meeting Colin’s family are quite interesting and revealing. Colin’s parents want him to have a nice and satisfying love in the way mainstream society conceives of it but Colin and especially Ray refuse. Colin’s tension between his commitment to Ray and his own desires and his need to appease his parents is very real and the later portions of Pillion pose interesting questions about love and relationships and power.
What Doesn’t: Pillion places the audience inside of a dominant/submissive relationship without a whole lot of exposition. This is generally to the movie’s credit. The filmmakers respect the audience’s intelligence and stage scenes in ways that draw out the meaning of the action. But for viewers who have no point of reference about the dominant/submissive subculture, Colin and Ray’s relationship may be confusing or come across abusive. Their story is more nuanced than that and Pillion requires close attention on the viewer’s part. This film can’t be half watched with a second screen. Pillion is also a very sexually explicit film. Again, that’s to the movie’s credit but the explicitness may limit the film’s appeal.
Bottom Line: Pillion is the movie that Fifty Shades of Grey wanted to be. It is sexual and provocative but there is also an emotional intelligence at the center of it. This film resides in the company of Secretary and The Duke of Burgundy.
Episode: #1090 (March 8, 2026)