Alexander Skarsgård’s “Pillion” Ignites Excitement with Bold BDSM Queer Romance

At the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, “Pillion” premiered in the prestigious Un Certain Regard section, immediately capturing the attention of global LGBTQ+ audiences and cinephiles. Directed by Harry Lighton in his feature debut and starring Alexander Skarsgård as the enigmatic biker Ray and Harry Melling as the submissive Colin, the film adapts Adam Mars-Jones’s novel “Box Hill” and plunges viewers into the world of queer biker culture and BDSM dynamics. The film’s world premiere was met with universal acclaim, earning the Best Screenplay prize and the Palm Dog, as well as nominations for the Caméra d'Or and Queer Palm.

“Pillion” stands apart for its frank, unfiltered depiction of power exchange and intimacy between men, a theme rarely explored with such nuance in mainstream cinema. The film’s synopsis describes Ray as an “impossibly handsome leader of a motorbike club” who introduces Colin, “a weedy wallflower letting life pass him by,” to a vibrant community of kinky, queer bikers. As Colin becomes Ray’s 24/7 submissive, the film explores both the liberation and potential pitfalls of surrendering control within a consensual dynamic, prompting viewers to question the boundaries of pleasure, autonomy, and identity.

Director Harry Lighton immersed himself in the real-life Gay Bikers Motorcycle Club (GBMCC) during pre-production, ensuring the film’s world was grounded in authentic queer experience. Members of the GBMCC not only served as advisors but also appeared onscreen as themselves, lending credibility and visibility to a subculture often marginalized even within LGBTQ+ spaces.

Following its Cannes debut, “Pillion” has been embraced by both critics and audiences. It currently holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviewers lauding the chemistry between Skarsgård and Melling, Lighton’s bold storytelling, and the film’s unexpectedly tender love story. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw described the film as “funny and touching and alarming – like a cross between Alan Bennett and Tom of Finland with perhaps a tiny smidgen of what could be called a BDSM Wallace and Gromit,” highlighting its unique blend of humor and eroticism.

Variety’s coverage focused on the film’s “kinky sex, BDSM Alexander Skarsgård and gimp masks,” while The Hollywood Reporter emphasized that “Pillion” is “less about the shock factor of some very graphic gay kink than the nuances of love, desire and mutual needs within a sub/dom relationship.” The film also doesn’t shy away from explicit content, prompting discussions about censorship, representation, and the boundaries of queer cinema.

For many in the LGBTQ+ community, “Pillion” represents a watershed moment for on-screen representation. The film neither sanitizes nor sensationalizes its BDSM themes; instead, it presents them as part of a fully realized queer world. The inclusion of Jake Shears, lead vocalist of Scissor Sisters, in his screen acting debut, further cements the film’s commitment to authentic queer voices. Shears, who prepared for his role by reading “The Leatherman’s Handbook,” spoke about being “excited to work in the film” and the importance of representing subcultures within the community.

According to Lighton, several scenes were intentionally cut from the Cannes version to avoid “deliberately shocking” the audience, with Skarsgård teasing the existence of a “raunchier version” that may never see wide release. This editorial decision has sparked debate about the limits of mainstream acceptability for queer eroticism and the double standards often applied compared to heterosexual content.