Premiering at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, where it won Best Screenplay, “Pillion” is a film that dares the audience to contend with its story centered around a strict bondage, dominance, submission and masochism (BDSM) relationship between an introverted young man named Colin (Harry Melling) and an emotionally closed-off biker, Ray (Alexander Skarsgård). However, as the film progresses, it becomes clear that writer-director Harry Lighton has crafted a film that is surprisingly funny and is, in actuality, a character study about desire and the awkward process of learning how to define one’s boundaries.
The film opens with Colin, who lives a structured and modest life, which includes still living at his parents’ house and working a menial job as a parking enforcement officer. There, he is frequently, and somewhat comedically, verbally abused by passersby, and spends his evenings singing at bars as part of a barbershop quartet. His life is quickly established toeing the line between safe and suffocating. Although Colin’s parents repeatedly set him up on dates with various men, he remains single.
However, this begins to change when he has a chance encounter with Ray after one of his performances at a bar. Colin is initially drawn to Ray’s silent and striking demeanor, and the offbeat, awkward rhythm between the two becomes the defining feature of the film. From its opening, “Pillion” signals that it has no interest in sticking to conventional rom-com beats, even if it borrows from their general structure. As the story progresses, the film’s tension grows as Colin is slowly drawn further into Ray’s orbit. Lighton takes care to ensure the relationship is presented as both consensual and grounded in the real-world BDSM community and their practices. Still, the film emphasizes that just because Colin has consented, he isn’t always comfortable or happy, just like in “normal” real-world relationships. Skarsgård’s Ray clearly keeps Colin at arm’s length emotionally, but he is never cruel, always making sure to stay honest despite being inflexible. Lighton never asks the audience to identify with Ray, or even agree with any of his actions, but simply to understand his logic.
Melling, best known for portraying Dudley in the “Harry Potter” franchise, takes center stage here and offers a vulnerable performance. For much of the film, Colin is in the early stages of learning how to engage in a relationship that exists outside of societal norms and much of the humor arises from the mismatch between Ray’s rigid rules and the uncertainty of whether those rules are motivated by genuine care for Colin. “Pillion” often plays like a “dom-com,” a romantic comedy in essence, but drained of its traditional punchlines. Instead it relies on deadpan deliveries and quieter jokes, frequently centered on Colin’s attempts to contort himself into a new, unexpected role. This style of humor is best seen early on, when Ray invites Colin to his house for the first time: Colin is thrown into the kitchen and told to make dinner.
Although they are fully accepting of his sexuality, Colin’s parents are deeply against the idea that he could choose a relationship that appears abusive, at least from their perspective. Of course, as the viewers, we know they only see a fraction of the true dynamic, but this limitation is both intentional and one of the film’s more pointed critiques. Lighton uses this disconnect to question why people still fail to accept certain segments of the queer community. Colin’s mom also suffers from a mysterious medical condition throughout the runtime, and much of the relationship between the two is based on her desire to know Colin is happy, even if she can no longer be there for him. While this dynamic initially felt a bit forced, it ultimately serves a clear structural purpose for the film, emphasizing Colin’s need for external validation.
One of the film’s most memorable sequences is when Ray finally breaks out of his persona for a moment, allowing himself and Colin to exist outside the roles their relationship has established for them. These scenes are both revealing and wryly humorous, further allowing Lighton to show that people are never solely reducible to their kinks, even within relationships largely driven by BDSM.
Lighton’s writing and direction never feel obtrusive, filled with deliberate pacing and emotional distance that often feels cold, but can more aptly be described as purposeful. For much of the film, the palette is dominated by grays. And while the performances from both Melling and Skarsgård often verge on monotonous, the film’s exceptionally unique conceit compensates for this limitation. In the final stretch, “Pillion” subverts most of these critiques. Rather than offering clear answers about its central relationship, the film brightens its colors, showing Colin happier in his life and turning the viewer’s attention to what Colin has learned.
In discussing the film, Lighton described Colin’s journey as more about internal growth than a provocation. “That’s the story that I want to tell,” Lighton said in a question-and-answer session after the film screening. “Someone learning about their desire and learning how to define it.”
This emphasis on self-discovery is unusual, but after watching the film, I think he has definitely achieved this goal. Ultimately, “Pillion” isn’t for everyone, which is probably obvious from the premise. Still, the film is much more comedic and thoughtful than genre labels might imply, and is definitely worth a look.
