The film and its star are making the internet horny, but what is Pillion all about?
Introducing his film Pillion at the Cannes Film Festival, director Harry Lighton told the audience he hopes his debut feature does four things. “I hope the film makes you laugh, makes you think and feel and maybe make some you a little bit horny…or a lot,” he said.
The BDSM film follows an awkward and shy young man named Colin (played by Harry Potter’s Harry Melling) who becomes the sexual submissive to a domineering and charismatic alpha male biker named Ray (played by True Blood and Succession actor Alexander Skarsgård). Ray is part of a sub/dom gay biker club in which master and servant roles are established by who drives and who rides. As Colin and Ray’s romance deepens the film explores the complexities of relationships built on power dynamics, identity and more.
The film received a seven to eight minute standing ovation and despite its kinky nature has been described for having a soft side. The Daily Beast has called it “delightfully tender,” while Variety dubbed it an “edgy queer romance.” The Guardian called the film sweet and revealing saying it’s a cross of “Alan Bennett and Tom of Finland with perhaps a tiny smidgen of what could be called a BDSM Wallace and Gromit.”
While there is no theatrical release date or trailer as of yet, the film is already on the top of our 2025 watch list. Until then, here are eight facts to know about the film and its stars.
- Why is it called Pillion? Pillion refers to the backseat of a motorcycle typically occupied by the passenger. The word is more commonly used in the United Kingdom than in North America. The title works for the film as the passenger is in a way submissive, giving up control to the driver.
- It’s based on a novel. The film is adapted from Adam Mars-Jones novel Box Hill which was released in 2020.Mars-Jones helped Lighton adapt the film for the screen.
- What can viewers expect? The film has been described as having several “kinky gay BDSM sex scenes,” “elaborately choreographed orgies” and more. However, as critics have pointed out in reviews it does have a sweet side.
- Cannes viewers got a “tamed” version. Lighton admitted to Variety certain scenes were cut to “spare the blushes of the crowd in Cannes.” He went on to say, “I didn’t want to push the audience into feeling they were being deliberately shocked by an image. So for example, there was one close up of a dick, a hard dick … like down the barrel of the lens. And after watching the film on that ‘fuck-off’ screen I thought, yeah, cutting it was probably the right decision!”
- Melling learned how to lick a boot. Gay Cardiff biker Paul Tallis, who appears in the film, posted an image to Instagram holding a leashed Melling with a caption reading in part, “I had the pleasure of educating Harry Melling on being a sub, and demonstrating how to lick boots.” He also posted a picture from the Cannes premiere in a puppy hood with Skarsgård. In the post he thanked the director for “bringing human pup play to an international feature length movie.”
- It features a scissor sister. Musician Jake Shears from Scissor Sisters makes his acting debut in the film. According to Deadline, he plays a sub who has a NSFW scene on a picnic table with Skarsgård.
- It’s Pedro Pascal approved. Pascal was one of the audience members giving the film its standing ovation. He sat in front of Skarsgård who leaned over to hug and kiss the actor. The kiss made headlines over the weekend as it looked like the pair were liplocked, when in actuality it was a peck on the cheek.
- Skarsgård made the audience horny off screen. On stage at the premiere, the actor wasn’t shy about showing off how good his ass looked in skin tight leather pants.
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