They’re one in a Pillion (CREDIT: Chris Harris/A24)
Starring: Harry Melling, Alexander Skarsgård, Douglas Hodge, Lesley Sharp
Director: Harry Lighton
Running Time: 107 Minutes
Rating: Unrated (But It’s Got Enough Sexual Material That It Would’ve Been Flirting with an NC-17)
Release Date: February 6, 2026 (Theaters)
What’s It About?: Colin (Harry Melling) is a nice young lad who doesn’t have much of a romantic life to speak of, but then he suddenly catches the eye of mysterious biker stud Ray (Alexander Skarsgård). They have an encounter in a dark alley, and it seems like that might just be the extent of their rendezvous. But after months with no contact, Colin is suddenly invited to Ray’s home, where he finds himself unwittingly initiated into a BDSM relationship. Henceforth, when he’s not cooking for Ray and sleeping on his floor, he’s hanging out with his biker gang and submitting to all of their leather daddy whims. Colin is thrilled to be desired like this, but you can also tell that he wishes he could have negotiated some of his own terms. Meanwhile, his parents Peggy (Lesley Sharp) and Pete (Douglas Hodge) are his biggest cheerleaders, but they’re not necessarily so keen on the disrespect they detect from this Ray fellow
What Made an Impression?: We All Grow Up Some Time: Harry Melling is of course best known as Dudley Dursey, bullying cousin of the titular wizard in the Harry Potter films. Will Hogwarts devotees follow him to Pillion, and if so, will they know what they’re in for? Whatever the answer to that question, I believe that this film works as a weirdly fitting microcosm of the world that we live in, in which we must put away childish things when we grow up, and then decide how we want to play as adults, or if we want to be the playthings. Your particular journey in that regard might not match Colin’s (or Melling’s) exactly, but it’s important to be prepared.
Breaking Bread: I haven’t seen that many BDSM movies, but the few that I have encountered before Pillion don’t typically feature parents as involved as Colin’s are. And it’s easy to understand why! Peg just wants Colin to bring Ray over for dinner someday, but how exactly are they supposed to explain the nature of their relationship, even euphemistically? Well, that’s the tension at the heart of one of the movie’s most memorable scenes. Let’s just say, Lesley Sharp has an apt surname!
A Ray of Sunshine?: Being in a submissive sexual relationship isn’t exactly pleasant if you’re not 100% it’s what you want, and watching it happen isn’t a barrel of laughs either. So I was certainly rooting for Colin when he tried to make his preferences get through to Ray. That eventually leads to a surprisingly lovely, sun-flecked sequence. Alas, there’s no avoiding the foreboding sense that that is all is quite fleeting. But I approve of how it leads to Colin’s epiphany about what exactly he wants for his future.
Pillion is Recommended If You Wish: That 50 Shades of Grey had been a lot gayer and much less boring.
Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Collars
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