Pillion is a coming-of-age dramedy hidden amid a kinky film about sub/dom relationships. Harry Lighton’s indie comedy/drama balances the very adult underground world of leather daddies with a crowd-pleasing story about a young man finding his own way in the sexual landscape of gay relationships.

Mild-mannered traffic warden Colin (Harry Melling) is on a Christmastime blind date set up by his mother (Lesley Sharp) when he spots a group of motorcycle leather-clad men. But there is one man he can’t take his eyes off, the Nordic God that is Ray (Alexander Skarsgard), who towers over the younger man. Ray slips him a note in a Christmas card, inviting him to a late-night outside encounter.

“Pillion” Is An Unafraid Look At A Subculture

Pillion doesn’t build up to its sexual message. Their first encounter sees Colin on his knees in a Bromley alleyway, licking Ray’s leather boots. The film never explicitly details Colin’s past, but it’s clear he has never had an encounter like this before. Despite their awkward fumble, which is less than sexy or romantic, Ray and Colin enter an unorthodox form of relationship.

Upon his first trip to Ray’s house, Colin is instructed to make Ray dinner while he sits with his Rottweiler Rosie. He is essentially Ray’s sex slave, sleeping on his floor and wearing a padlock around his neck. Colin starts to ride pillion with Ray symbolically and physically, growing up on screen in front of our very eyes. He shaves his head to fit in with Ray’s biker friends, starts to dress less like a parking warden, and seems less like the boy singing accapella in the pub on Christmas. He’s not a totally different person, but he’s visibly more confident in himself.

There is a sense that Colin enters this relationship because he is so desperate to feel loved and needed. Being a dom gives Colin a sense of purpose. His life had been so small before meeting Ray’s biker gang. He’d go to work and get abused by people unhappy with their parking ticket, he’d sing in his twee barbershop quartet, and he’d go home to his needy parents with whom he still lives with. He may look like he’s had the sharp end of the stick, but Colin gains more than just sexual fulfilment from their encounters.

It’s uncomfortable, and Pillion doesn’t try to sugarcoat the nature of their dynamic. Unlike other sub/dom stories (looking at your Fifty Shades of Grey), the writers aren’t trying to convince audiences that this is a healthy romance that should be aspired to. Yet, despite the power imbalance, Lighton’s script never veers into exploitation. He understands the complexities and contradictions that arise in this type of partnership. Like any romance or sexual encounter, not everything works for every person.

Film Doesn’t Shy Away

Pillion doesn’t shy away from its sexual exploits and doesn’t attempt to sanitize them for commercial audiences. The complexities of BDSM relationships are not simplified or overexplained, letting the audience peek into a subculture rarely seen on-screen. The sex is shown in its glory, with all the bodily fluids and Prince Alberts you could want. Yet, these characters are not circus show freaks and the community is treated with respect.

Ray isn’t all bad, he shows affection in his own way. After Colin suffers a personal tragedy, Ray softens his edges a little. There is a real romance to the heart of their partnership, and a real fondness between the two. Ray is just the type of man who requires reading before the lines.

Despite the literal dom/sub relationship on display, there is a tenderness to Pillion. Lighton writers Ray and Colin as real, layered humans who come with their own baggage that influences their sexual preferences. While it’s not your traditional British romantic comedy, there are more tropes on show than you may suspect from the subject matter. For example, Pillion is a very funny script. The English are not the most comfortable talking about and watching sex, and the film perfectly embodies the awkwardness ingrained in the culture when it comes to the topic.

Performances Which Subvert The Clichés

Ray’s part of a sub/dom queer biker club, where master and servant roles are parallel with who drives and who rides pillion. Their days out involve the subs face-down and bare-bottomed on picnic tables. Their encounters are always in dimly lit car parks and muddy river banks, making the film look very English. Other than Skarsgard and Scissor Sisters lead singer Jake Shears, the other bikers are played by real-life members who worked as advisors on the movie. Seeing real-life, non-Hollywood stars in the role adds a touch of realism to the film that refuses to glamorize or demonize.

Lighton’s feature film debut subverts many of the queer tropes that have become so tiresome in recent cinema. The first is how supportive Colin’s parents are, perhaps too much so. Pete (Douglas Hodge) and his wife Peggy are always pushing their son to go out and meet men. Even giving his old leather jacket to impress the biker date. Smartly, Colin is already out in Pillion, avoiding another awkward coming-out scene to confused parents in an LGBTQ+ film.

Alexander Skarsgard physically dominates the screen as the enigmatic Ray. His Nordic steeliness is peppered with vulnerability, and there is a whole other man in between the words spoken. A lesser actor would have simply focused on Ray’s cruel side and not the inner softness. Harry Melling’s Colin is an awkward British sitcom character. Uncomfortable in his own skin, but he has a visible evolution throughout the movie. Melling’s face is a canvas of emotions, letting all the confusion, sadness, and idolization flash across his features. Both could have overplayed their sub/dom characters cliches, but instead delivered a layered portrayal of men consensually exploring a different type of relationship.

The supporting cast makes the world of Pillion feel rich. Lesley Sharp and Douglas Hodge, as Colin’s parents, bring warmth and laughs. A standout moment of the film sees Ray sit down for Sunday dinner with Colin’s family. Sharp’s Peggy can’t help but let the room know exactly what she thinks of their dynamic.

Final Thoughts

Pillion is a heartwarming coming-of-age drama that just happens to take place in the world of BDSM. Harry Lighton’s script explores their dynamic with a sensitive hand, never glamorizing or shaming anyone involved. This isn’t a dirty film about sex, it’s a film about a type of love that doesn’t fit within the pre-assigned romance boxes.