Movie Review: ‘Pillion’

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Review by James Lindorf

Harry Lighton is making his feature film debut as a writer and director, but he is no stranger to filmmaking. His 2017 short film “Wren” was nominated for Best Short Film at the 71st annual British Academy Film Awards. His latest project, “Pillion,” is an adaptation of Adam Mars-Jones’ 2020 novel “Box Hill.” “Pillion” had its premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the section’s Best Screenplay prize and the Palm Dog for Mutt Moment while receiving multiple other nominations. Warner Bros. Pictures and Picturehouse Entertainment released it in the United Kingdom on November 28th, 2025, and now A24 is bringing it stateside on February 6th. It will have a limited theatrical run but should find itself on HBOMax in the coming months if their partnership continues.

By typical societal standards, Colin (Harry Melling) is a bit of a loser. He is in his early 30s, he works a job he hates almost as much as others hate him for doing it, and when the film opens, we may be seeing his very first date. A blind date that was set up by his mother, Peggy (Lesley Sharp), who is dying from an unknown disease, most likely cancer, and wants to see Colin happy before she passes. While that date is an utter disaster, Colin’s life is forever changed when enigmatic biker Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) walks into the pub. Ray sweeps the timid man off his feet and onto the floor when they quickly begin a highly regimented BDSM relationship. The strong supporting cast of “Pillion” includes Douglas Hodge, Jake Shears, and Mat Hill, but the vast majority of the dramatic weight falls on Melling’s shoulders.

If you are like me, you are wondering what the title “Pillion” means and if it is even an actual word. I did the googling for us, and it turns out that is the correct name for the back seat on a motorcycle. Aside from being a bit obscure, it fits the movie perfectly. Ray is a biker, and Colin is definitely coming in second in their relationship. In most films that center on a character having a new experience or learning about a different culture, the character serves as a conduit for the audience to learn alongside them. “Pillion” does not do that. Colin is thrown into the deep end, and if he wants to keep Ray happy, he has to learn on the go, and we are right there with him. In fact, we are at a disadvantage because there are time jumps in the film where decisions were made, lessons were learned, and punishment was handed out, but we are left with nothing but assumptions about what led them to this point. It can be considered brave not to explain their kink in detail, and Lighton manages not to glorify or vilify Ray or any of the participants. This is who they are and what makes them happy. If they are all consenting adults, who are we to judge? We are just there to witness this unique take on first love.

There are only three issues with the film that affect its final score. First is the pacing of the story. I am okay with Colin and Ray jumping right into this complex relationship, even if it seems improbable, but we have no sense of time. Are they together for weeks, months, years by the time credits roll? Knowing how much time passes between major events would make it easier to understand the character’s motivation and frustrations. A partner’s annoying habit or stubbornness can be frustrating for a few days, but if it has been months, it could be the reason for an explosive fight. Without context, the characters can come across as childish or impulsive, which brings in the second point of contention.

In “Box Hill,” Colin is 18 years old, and his place in life, his shyness, and his inexperience can all be explained away that way. When they decided to cast Melling, who is 36, Lighton did nothing to adjust the character to account for this. There are two ways to solve this “problem”: cast someone younger or make Colin a more worldly character. I can’t see recasting because Melling is fantastic in the role, from singing barbershop to obeying all the rules to having a motorcycle-stealing breakdown. Even though he is smaller and less conventionally attractive, all attention is on Colin as Melling’s body posture and eyes pull you into every scene. The final issue I had was that I think Ray should have been a more robust character. Skarsgård’s word count can probably be counted by the dozens. He is the strong, silent type, but we know so little about him and his motivations. Skarsgård is a very talented actor who does his best to imply depth through his actions and line delivery, but the emotional dynamics are just as lopsided as the power dynamics in their relationship.

With just a single feature film under his belt, it is too early to make a call on what Lighton is best at. Still, I am leaning towards him being more likely to be an elite director than a top screenwriter. The film is captivating, and all of the performances are very good and all of the issues I identified are with the script. It may stem from the book, but it is always difficult to cut out just the right elements when adapting a story. After considering everything, I give “Pillion” a score of 4.25 out of 5.

Genre: Romance, Comedy, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Limited Theatrical): February 6th, 2026
Runtime: 1h 46mDirector: Harry Lighton
Screenwriter: Harry Lighton
Producer: Lee Groombridge, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Emma Norton
Distributor: A24
Production Co: Element Pictures, British Film Institute (BFI), BBC Film