| Pillion | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Harry Lighton |
| Written by | Harry Lighton |
| Based on | Box Hill byAdam Mars-Jones |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Nick Morris |
| Edited by | Gareth C. Scales |
| Music by | Oliver Coates |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 107 minutes[1] |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | £814,000[2] ($1 million) |
| Box office | $2 million[3] |
Pillion is a 2025eroticcomedy drama film[4][5][6] written and directed byHarry Lighton, based on the 2020 novelBox Hill byAdam Mars-Jones. The film starsHarry Melling as a timidgay man andAlexander Skarsgård as an enigmaticbiker who start aBDSM relationship.
Pillion had its premiere in theUn Certain Regard section of the2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the section's Best Screenplay prize and thePalm Dog for Mutt Moment, alongside nominations for theCaméra d'Or and theQueer Palm. It was released in the United Kingdom byWarner Bros. Pictures andPicturehouse Entertainment on 28 November 2025.
The film received widespread praise from critics, receiving several nominations and awards, including twoBritish Independent Film Awards and aGotham Independent Film Awards as well as threeBritish Academy Film Awards nominations.
Colin, an introverted gay man, lives with his parents inBromley, London, and works a menial job assigning parking tickets while pursuing his hobby of singing in abarbershop quartet. One evening at the pub, he is slipped a note by Ray, a handsome member of a local biker gang. The two meet on Christmas Day at ahigh street alleyway, where Ray wordlessly ushers Colin to perform oral sex. Despite a successful hookup, Ray says he is not often around to see Colin again.
Colin texts Ray, but receives no response. Eventually, Ray invites Colin to his home, where Colin is naively initiated into a strictBDSM relationship: Colin cooks, cleans, and shops, sleeps on the floor, and obeys Ray's every command. In return, Colin enjoys an intense but controlled sexual relationship with Ray. Acclimating to Ray's lifestyle, Colin shaves his head and joins the biker gang. Meanwhile, Colin's parents express worry about how little Colin knows about Ray.
Though Ray does not celebrate Colin's birthday, the biker gang throw a surprise party and they all go on a road trip. During this time, Colin witnesses different BDSM dynamics. Specifically, Colin finds himself in a line-up of four men wearing assless chaps, leaning side-by-side on a picnic table, positioned to be sodomised by their doms. Ray forces one of the other subs to fellate him in front of Colin, much to Colin's chagrin. Ray then proceeds to have sex with Colin in themissionary position for the first time, and Colin delights in the intimacy.
Given Colin's pleas and the fact Colin's mother is terminally ill, Ray finally relents in meeting Colin's parents. They do not understand the couple's dynamic, resulting in an argument in which Ray accuses Colin's mother of a "backwards" worldview.
Some weeks later, Colin's mother dies. Following the funeral, Colin has a breakdown while cooking Ray's dinner, deliberately burning his hands. Ray helps Colin, orders them food, and even allows Colin to sleep in the bed for the first time, where Ray unknowingly cuddles Colin in his sleep. When Colin asks Ray if he can sleep in the bed again and even have a day off from his submissive role each week, Ray flatly refuses. In retaliation, Colin steals Ray's motorcycle and rides into the night.
The next morning, upon returning to Ray's house, Colin is shocked to find Ray has agreed they should enjoy a day off from their BDSM dynamic. Colin is initially unsure what they should do as a "normal" couple. The two go to the cinema, where Ray touches Colin's thigh before giving him a handjob, and the two are chased out. After eating at a restaurant, they go to the park where they wrestle and share their first kiss.
The next day, Ray disappears entirely. Colin attempts to locate him but ultimately returns to life at his father's house. Some time later, realising that Ray has abandoned him, Colin signs up for a dating app, seeking a new BDSM relationship—now having a better understanding of his own limits and demands—and he meets up with a new dom, Darren, at a football pitch.
On 8 May 2024,Variety reported thatHarry Lighton would make his featuredirectorial debut withPillion from a screenplay he wrote, based on the 2020 novelBox Hill byAdam Mars-Jones.[9] The film is a co-production between the UK and Ireland.[10]Element Pictures,BBC Film and theBritish Film Institute produced and financed the film, withPicturehouse Entertainment set to distribute in the United Kingdom.[9]Emma Norton,Ed Guiney, Lee Groombridge, andAndrew Lowe produced the film.[11] The score was composed byOliver Coates.[11] Nick Morris was the director of photography and Gareth C. Scales was the editor.[11]
Lighton spent a weekend with the real-life members of the Gay Bikers Motorcycle Club (GBMCC) while researching for the film.[12] They also served as advisors and appear in the film playing themselves as members of the gay biker gang.[13][14]
Lighton met up with Paul Tallis, a London-based Welsh gay biker during his research. Lighton subsequently offered Tallis a part in the film as part of Ray's biker gang, incorporating Tallis'human pup persona to bring the film into the current era. Melling also spent a day riding as apillion on Paul Tallis' motorbike, learning about the BDSM community,boot licking, and submissive behavior.[15]
In May 2024,Harry Melling andAlexander Skarsgård joined the cast of the film, with Skarsgård also serving as executive producer.[9]
Scissor Sisters' lead vocalistJake Shears made his screen acting debut inPillion playing a gay biker, Kevin.[16] Casting director Kahleen Crawford invited Shears for the film after she saw him in the musicalCabaret.[16] Shears had been acquainted with Skarsgård through friends from years before and was excited to see him and work in the film.[16] Shears—who was not familiar with the gay biker and BDSM world that is portrayed in the film—readThe Leatherman's Handbook to prepare for his role.[16]
Principal photography took place inSouth East England, starting on 29 July and wrapping in early September 2024. Shooting locations includedLullingstone Castle andSevenoaks inKent.[17][18][19]
Lighton said that several scenes from the film were cut from the version that was shown during its world premiere at the2025 Cannes Film Festival, and that there could be some more cuts to ensure the film gets released in the United States. Skarsgård added: "There's definitely a raunchier version of this movie... what you've seen is the family friendly version... there's also the Alexander Skarsgård cut." Speaking toVariety following the film's premiere, Lighton explained:
It was purely because 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![20]
In October 2024,A24 acquired US distribution rights to the film.[21] It had its world premiere in theUn Certain Regard section of theCannes Film Festival on 18 May 2025,[22][23] where it earned a seven-minutestanding ovation at the end of its screening.[24]
Pillion had its British premiere on 18 October 2025 at theSouthbank Centre as part of theBFI London Film Festival.[25] The film was released in cinemas in the United Kingdom byPicturehouse andWarner Bros. Pictures UK on 28 November 2025[26][27] and was released in the United States by A24 on 6 February 2026.[28] It was released in the UK on digital platforms on 12 January 2026.[29]
During the various premieres, a number of gay leather clubs were invited to come to watch the film including SLM Stockholm and Leathermen of Ireland.[30][31]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes,100% of 133 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The website's consensus reads: "A remarkable directorial debut by Harry Lighton,Pillion is an unconventional romance that soars thanks to its nonjudgmental perspective and knockout performances."[32]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 85 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[33]
Richard Lawson ofVanity Fair wrote: "Pillion gives little indication that Lighton is a first-time feature director. The film is confidently staged and handsomely styled, elegantly gliding through Colin and Ray's adventure (or misadventure) with a keen eye for detail and texture. The beauty ofPillion is that those of us watching on the sidelines are not voyeurs, but rather witnesses to something powerfully complex and human."[4]
Peter Debruge ofVariety called the film "a steamy art-house psychodrama that's fairly light on analysis but not at all shy about showing the germ of one man's titillating new turn-on", and "laced with a wry sense of humor,Pillion manages to be both understated and explicit in the way Lighton presents practically everything that happens in Colin and Ray's unconventional relationship."[34]
Cédric Succivalli of theInternational Cinephile Society describedPillion as "an exceptional introduction to [Harry] Lighton as a filmmaker" and praised its blend of dark humour, psychological thriller elements, and strong performances.[35] Pavel Snapkou of Showbiz by PS calledPillion "a delicate, emotionally intelligent study of identity, desire, and self-discovery" that balances shock value with psychological realism.[36]
Dieter Osswald praised the lightheartedness of the debut on the leading German Arthaus portalProgrammkino.de stating: "In contrast to the lacklusterHollywood fiascoFifty Shades of Grey, this small indie production presents a relaxed and amusing look into the world ofsadomasochism".[37] Spectrum Culture praised Melling's performance, calling it one of the best of 2025: "...Skarsgard got the zippier lines, and rightfully so. That said, without Melling, there simply is no movie worth talking about."[38]
Mutt Moment — for the year's best scene-stealer — went to the British Un Certain Regard filmPillion for its long-haired Dachshund Hippo and Rottweiler Rosie.
