‘Pillion’ review: kink meets kitchen sink

In this hugely entertaining British comedy-drama, Harry Potter star Harry Melling plays Colin, a timid traffic warden who still lives with his mum and dad, and has yet to explore his sexually submissive side. That’s about to change after Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), a leather-clad biker, strides into the local pub. A man of few words, Ray demands that Colin meet him on Christmas Day, outside Primark in Croydon. And so begins a none-too-festive tryst between a glistening sex god and a stammering, lovelorn Mummy’s boy. 

Based on the novel Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones, Pillion is written and directed by Harry Lighton, who brings a very British comic sensibility to this character-driven drama about a new-bie navigating the BDSM scene. There’s no conversation about boundaries or safe words as Colin is plunged into a sub-dom routine that involves him shopping, cooking, sleeping on the floor… basically, anything Ray demands. When that is sex, Colin is happy – but he gradually becomes frustrated by Ray’s controlling and distant behaviour. It’s an interesting exploration of the emotional repercussions of a particular S&M relationship – this doesn’t attempt to explain or explore the whole scene, showing events from Colin’s point of view as he is gradually welcomed into Ray’s gang of kinky gay bikers.

The chasm between Colin and Ray is enhanced by the casting and performances, as well as a few well-timed notes in the script. Colin’s colleague looks at a picture of Ray on his phone, asking how he could possibly get a man like that, while his father (Douglas Hodge) is clearly in awe of Ray’s handsome appearance. His wife (Lesley Sharp) is less easy to impress: an observant woman, she challenges Ray in one key scene. Despite their naivety about sub-dom relationships, Colin’s parents are warm and welcoming about his sexuality, trying to fix him up on dates and expressing hopes that he will meet a nice man.

It’s a heart-warming depiction of parenthood that strikes a similar tone to films such as Pride, where the older mining community embraced LGBTQ+ activists. And Colin’s journey is a joy to watch: when we first meet him, he’s performing in a barbershop quartet, complete with pinstripe suit and a mop of curly hair. Before long, he’s in a dog collar with a shaved head, bent over a picnic table and waiting for his master. 

Speaking of dogs, credit must also go to the pair’s brilliantly contrasting pooches: a Dachshund and a Rottweiler, who both received a special credit at the Palm Dog Awards in Cannes. No prizes for guessing who belongs to whom.