A remarkable directorial debut, Pillion is an unconventional rom-com (dom-com?) that soars on the strengths of its knockout lead performances and loving core.
Colin (Harry Melling), a timid man looking for love in his small town, is swept off his feet when enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) takes him on as his submissive. Adapted from the 2020 novel Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones, Pillion is, at its core, a classic romantic comedy with a thoroughly modern relationship at its center. Winner of the Best Screenplay prize and the Palm Dog for Mutt Moment (shout out Hippo and Rosie!) at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. [106 min; comedy, romance; English]
"The beauty of Pillion is that those of us watching on the sidelines are not voyeurs, but rather witnesses to something powerfully complex and human." — Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair
"It is a real love story, and the movie amusingly and touchingly takes us through the final stages and out the other side." — Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
"Pillion is a quietly devastating ode to the power of that self-discovery, a reminder that perhaps one of life’s greatest tragedies is that we can’t always remain in a relationship with the people we learn the most valuable lessons from." — Zachary Lee, RogerEbert.com
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