“What if Hugh Grant were a bottom?” Is this a question burning inside you? Now that you’ve read it, are you curious? Would Four Doms and a Funeral or Naughty Hill tickle your fancy? If so, Pillion may be up your a…lley.
Based on the 2020 novel Box Hill, we follow Colin (Harry Melling; The Pale Blue Eye), an unassuming though starry-eyed gay Brit, as he navigates his evolving sexual expression. While on a date set up by his mother, Ray (Alexander Skarsgård; Murderbot) catches his eye. For good reason, too, as Ray is devilishly handsome and sculpted like Michelangelo’s David. When Ray struts in his leather biker jacket and pants, he looks like a superhero ready to break bad. Of course, he caught Colin’s eye! After striking up an extremely modest conversation, Ray passes Colin a note to meet him on Christmas night. The invitation is more like a command, and Colin is eager to oblige.
The two are polar opposites: Colin is timid and dithery, Ray is assured and direct. During the meet-up, they have their first sexual encounter. It becomes quickly evident that Colin has very little sexual experience, at least experience in this realm. The tension between the submissive and dominant leads to humorous and, still, humanizing moments that power Pillion. Skarsgård plays the straight (pun intended) as impossible to know, but a sight to behold. Ray wields his sexual prowess like it is the gospel, and Colin cannot help but kneel at the altar. Beyond that, Ray is doggedly cold but is willing to bend his staunch rigidity ever so slightly when he gets the urge.
Colin’s mother, Peggy (Lesley Sharp; Red Eye), is a well-meaning but overbearing force in his life. Even though she has her heart in the right place, supporting Colin as he dates men, she still holds Ray to her standards instead of letting Colin develop his own. As their encounters become more frequent and the sexual situations are further escalated (my favorite being when Ray performs a wrestling move called the Mexican Surfboard), Colin grows more comfortable with being Ray’s sub but grows distant from his family.
Though Pillion is about Colin exploring the life of a sub, it is also about him growing into self-assuredness. He grows to accept what he likes, even if it may be off-putting to his family. Also, even though he is the submissive, he accepts that his needs deserve accommodation. Colin has to decide to stand up to Ray, and Ray has to decide how to react.
Melling gives a fabulous performance as Colin. Like Hugh Grant, he knows how to play against his leading romantic partner and has the “I can’t believe this is happening to me” British man down to a science. Romantic pairings are more like dance partners in that they have to be in sync and balanced.
Melling and Skarsgård have wonderful chemistry, just like Grant had with Julia Roberts, Andie MacDowell, and the like. While Grant is more of a vociferous smart-ass, Melling tempers his emotions. There is pain and joy that live below the surface, gleaming through his piercing eyes and impressive grin. With each step into his sexuality, the audience feels the victories with Colin, and each time he is shot down by Ray, we feel the sharpness deep down.
Pillion is a reminder of what rom-coms can be: funny, sweet, sexy (and can have lots of sex!). They can be tender and rough on the body and on the heart. Pillion is refreshingly unafraid of sex and desire because it knows that, ultimately, that is the easy part. Subconsciously, there is no control over lust; you just have to decide to give in or not. What waits after that, love, is the rub. There has to be a conscious decision to pursue what the heart wants or ignore it, for labyrinthine reasons.
Without spoiling the details, there is something nakedly honest about Pillion’s climax. The stage is set, tension builds, we release, then we come down. Beforehand, there is exploration, and the journey is wondrous. And when the moment comes, the heart balloons in a way that transcends words and feelings. Afterward, we are left searching for the high again and again and again.
For a feature debut, writer-director Harry Lighton shows he knows the rules of what makes a good rom-com and flips those expectations on their head. Tropes can be trappings, but Lighton crafts this journey to avoid obvious pitfalls. There is a universality in love that goes beyond these labels that we burden ourselves with. Lighton taps into emotions that penetrate deep.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Other Articles
No Comment! Be the first one.