Pillion
After the success of his BAFTA-nominated short film Wren Boys, we finally see British director Harry Lighton make his feature debut with an erotic game of cat and mouse set in the gay biker community.
Colin (Harry Melling) works as a traffic warden and still lives at home with his parents, who try to set him up with other young men in the area. He is timid to a fault, only ever exuding the slightest bit of confidence when performing with his a cappella group. On the night before Christmas, they sing in a pub, where a standoffish biker (Alexander Skarsgård) catches his eye. Not long after the biker notices Colin’s “aptitude for devotion,” the two men enter into an elaborate dominant/submissive agreement.
With the way his protagonist henceforth lives as the other’s lapdog, Lighton takes the idea of boundless freedom commonly associated with riding motorcycles and turns it on its head without dismissing it – after all, the leatherman subculture is genuine and well established.
On the bike, the camera emulates leaning into a curve and cornering, breaking free from some of the cinematography’s usual restraint. The framework of service-oriented submission is also used as a vehicle for the film’s well-executed humour. The naive ideas Colin’s mother has about her son’s first relationship, contrasted with the transgressive nature of his and the biker’s practices, provide the perfect setup for comedy gold.
Melling gives an acute lead performance. Every time his character breaks into a smile, the audience responds not just to the hilarity of the situation but also feels a sharp sadness upon realising that he is genuinely happy with the scraps he’s being fed. As Skarsgård graduates from being kept on a leash (Infinity Pool) to being the one holding the reins, he becomes a literal embodiment of control. Blink and you’ll miss the twitch of his lips or the sparkle in his eyes that betrays his composed exterior.
A perfect blend of funny, bittersweet and sexy, Pillion is a remarkable debut and one of the standouts of the festival. Run – don’t walk – when it comes to UK cinemas.
Selina Sondermann
Pillion does not have a release date yet.
Read more reviews from our Cannes Film Festival coverage here.
For further information about the event visit the Cannes Film Festival website here.
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