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Pillion Opens in North American Theaters With a Tender, Explicit Queer BDSM Romance

Lighton delivers a consent-forward intimacy grounded in research with gay biker and kink communities.

Overview

  • Following a Cannes premiere and a festival run, the A24-backed feature begins a limited North American release over Valentine’s weekend.
  • Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård star as Colin and Ray, whose dom–sub bond is portrayed with humor, care, and emotional nuance.
  • Director Harry Lighton kept sex on screen rather than sanitizing it, though the final cut is less graphic than the screenplay, the team says.
  • In postproduction, Lighton cut a dog-meeting beat after viewing Babygirl to avoid echoing a similar scene from that film.
  • Members of the Gay Bikers Motorcycle Club appear on screen, contributing lived-in detail that reviewers note supports the film’s romance-forward take on BDSM.