Every year without fail, the film world is introduced to a handful of brand new voices that both intrigue and excite, with pieces of work that set themselves apart as having outstanding qualities worthy of the time and attention of those with a keen eye. Harry Lighton’s Pillion is exactly one of those for 2025. A Bromley-based BDSM drama starring Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård that not only platforms its two lead actors to give their most layered performances yet, but also places Lighton firmly on the list of directors to watch.
The story is adapted from Adam Mars-Jones’ 2020 novel, Box Hill, which follows an introverted traffic enforcement officer as he falls into the dominant arms of an impossibly handsome biker who takes him on as his submissive. Demanding complete obedience in return for the honour of association with a man deemed to be so wildly out of his league. In this screen adaptation, Harry Melling takes on the role of the timid Colin, Skarsgård, the Brazen Ray.
The two’s love story is certainly a modern one; it requires a level of openness and fearlessness from its two leads unlike almost anything else you’re likely to see all year. From the tenderness and pureness of Melling’s portrayal to the more stoic and stern of Skarsgård’s, it all just works so well, no matter how at times, incredibly uncomfortable. It’s this feeling that leaves you wondering whether what’s happening is, in fact, acceptable or not. The constant battle between what society deems to be a morally correct way to treat a partner versus what said partner actually enjoys — a dilemma that Colin’s parents are forced to confront. With Peggy, Colin’s ill mother, who has just months left to live, unhappy with the way Ray carries himself, but more importantly, how he treats her son. Peggy argues that Ray’s almost pet-like treatment of Colin is unacceptable, whilst Ray insists her thought process is dated and close-minded, and should perhaps consider what her darling boy might actually be in to.
It’s a subject matter that is so scarcely given this sort of platform and attention, perhaps a taboo, of sorts. Yet, it’s these kinds of experiences that make being alive so magical, situations that teach you about those around you but more potently about yourself. For Colin, his relationship with Ray is exactly that. Does he love sleeping on the floor whilst the one he cares most for lies comfortably in bed? Maybe not. But does he enjoy the thrill of being asked to meet a stranger round the back of Bromley Primark for a blowjob at 5 pm on Christmas Day? Yeah, maybe he does, and public indecency aside, that’s quite alright, (just maybe find a more legally appropriate way to figure yourself out in the future, Colin fella). Point is, if not for leaving his comfort zone and taking a chance on himself, Colin would never have figured out who he truly was and what he really desired from life. And in that regard, perhaps more of us should choose to be a Colin.
As for Lighton and cinematographer Nick Morris’ work behind the camera, for this to be a directorial debut, it’s really quite something. Not only is the movie incredibly visually stimulating, but the use of optical storytelling is so precise that it, at times, negates the need for words whatsoever. Able to say a thousand words with the way a scene is framed or with a swift manoeuvre of the camera, truly stuff beyond the years of a filmmaker so green.
Pillion really just celebrates and showcases what it means to be alive and to be yourself truly. The importance of understanding what it is that makes your world go round, what makes you happy and leaves you feeling fulfilled. As even if every person or situation isn’t here to stay, the lessons they teach certainly will be. And hey, if BDSM Christmas flicks set in Greater London are your sort of thing, you might just have an all-new classic to add to your household holiday rotation.