In this critically-acclaimed debut from director Harry Lighton, Colin is a shy parking enforcement officer who lives with his parents and sings in a barbershop quartet. His life shifts dramatically when he meets Ray, an enigmatic leather-clad biker, who introduces him to a queer biker subculture. Dubbed a “dom-com” or an “anti-romance”, this provocative, funny and honest film follows Colin and Ray’s relationship as it evolves from a strict dynamic of dominance and submission to a surprisingly tender thread of love and belonging. Winner of Best Screenplay at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
NR | UK/Ireland | 2025 | 1h 46m
Directed by Harry Lighton
Starring Alexander Skarsgard, Harry Melling
Cannes Film Festival (2025) Best Screenplay (Un Certain Regard) Harry Lighton
British Independent Film Awards – Best British Independent Film
British Independent Film Awards – Best Debut Screenwriter
Gotham Independent Film Awards – Best Adapted Screenplay
London Film Critics’ Circle -British/Irish Film of the Year
London Film Critics’ Circle – Breakthrough British Filmmaker
Rotten Tomatoes Awards: Best Romance Movie (2025)
“Walking a line as delicate as shattered silk, “Pillion” deftly navigates between salacious and sweet, raunchy and romantic.”
– Jeanette Catsoulis, New York Times
“With screenwriter/director Harry Lighton’s keen awareness of power dynamics within a couple, the script’s choice to celebrate rather than judge, and Skarsgård’s magnetic performance and Melling’s sensitive one, Pillion is a racy but compassionate romance.”
– AARP Movies for Grownups
“It could have been simply shocking, revving its engine in sexed-up style. Instead, as a vehicle for a pair of wonderful performances, “Pillion” purrs.”
– The Wall Street Journal
Beer and Wine available at our concessions
Strand Film Series sponsors:
