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
Contains graphic sexual content. Intended for mature audiences only.
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
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