Pillion
18
Why watch?
“Both touching and naughty, Pillion is about sexual exploration as a tool to free oneself from suffocating self-doubt and outside control, that begins with a sex act behind a Primark. Based on the novel Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones, Lighton’s adaptation differs completely in tone, offering something that could be seen as more palatable, but still offering a not always upbeat interrogation of BDSM dynamics. The combination of well-observed sexual dynamics, no-holds-barred sex scenes, and inclusion of real, gay biker gang members (members of the Gay Bikers Motorcycle Club) as both actors and advisors show a real respect for its subject matter. Lighton shows BDSM as neither an essentially positive nor negative act, not pathologising its protagonists, and allowing audiences to figure things out for themselves, showing a side to kink we rarely get to see in the mainstream.”
Pervert Pictures,
Local film curator
Pervert Pictures' review of Pillion
Wallflower Colin (Harry Melling) leads a humdrum existence until he meets the impossibly handsome Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), a mysterious biker he is soon desperately devoted to. As Colin submits to Ray and enters an exciting new world of desire, he must decide the limits of his devotion.
Hilarious, subversive and sexy, Pillion is both a surprising and tender story about love and loving, from BAFTA winning writer-director Harry Lighton, starring Melling and Skarsgård in fearless performances as a mild young man and his leather-clad lover.
Details
“a feel-good British BDSM drama”
Sight & Sound
“The boldness, nuance and humour with which Lighton navigates BDSM dynamics as well as Colin and Ray’s personal and joint complexities results in a film that’s frequently touching and surprising, less of an adaptation and more of a reimagining that compliments the source material rather than replicates it.”
Hannah Strong, Little White Lies
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Attitude