Pillion (2025): The Celluloid Dungeon

Pillion is a 2025 romance/drama, directed by Harry Lighton and starring Alexander Skarsgard and Harry Melling IMDB

A shy gay man meets a handsome biker and becomes his submissive.

[Spoilers ahead]

Collin is an out but shy and inexperienced gay man. After singing in a barbershop quartet in a pub on Christmas Eve, he sees Ray, a tall, handsome biker who might have stepped out of a Tom of Finland illustration. Later that night, Ray is joined by a group of other bikers, some of whom are submissive to others. Ray discretely orders Collin to perform a small act of service. Collin complies, and Ray slips him his number.

On Christmas Day, Collin meets Ray on an empty street and they have an alley encounter, possibly Collin’s first such experience. (Very brief glimpse of a partial penis, and no condoms.) The emphasis is on Ray’s physical beauty and strength in his leather riding gear.

On another day, Ray picks up Collin at home, and Ray’s parents insist that he gets another helmet while riding pillion with Ray. This is a transformative experience for Collin, riding on the back of Ray’s bike and holding onto his massive body, encased in leather.

In what’s straight out of many a masochist’s fantasy, Collin becomes Ray’s live-in slave, cooking and cleaning for him, while sleeping on the floor in Ray’s bedroom. Collin changes his hair to a buzz-cut and wears a locked chain around his neck; Ray wears the key on his own necklace.

Ray also takes Collin on motorcycle runs with his group, and Collin learns where he fits into this hierarchy. He’s disappointed when Ray momentarily exchanges him for another master’s sub, but relieved when Ray comes back to him.

Ray meets Collin’s parents for dinner, but there’s friction over Ray’s refusal to disclose anything about his background, employment, family, or even his last name. Collin might be content with Ray being a beautiful cipher, but Collin’s mother is dying and she wants to know her son is with someone trustworthy.

The death of his mother leaves Collin depressed. But he’s so committed to his role with Ray that he can only express it by semi-deliberately burning himself on a cooking pot. Instead, Ray orders pizza and even tells him a dad joke. Ray breaks some of his own rules by letting Collin sleep in the same bed, which means a lot to Collin.

However, Ray closes off again, leaving Collin frustrated when all his attempts to expand their relationship. This escalates until one night, Collin acts out and steals Ray’s bike for a joyride.

However, instead of punishment, Ray agrees to have a “regular day” date with Collin. They do regular date things with him. Ray asks Collin to teach him to sing, then asks two women passing by who sings better; they say Collin. This is Ray acknowledging that he’s not perfect, and there are things Collin can do better than him.

After they make out in a theatre, they run out and tussle in a park, and Collin finally pins Ray. They kiss, but something changes in Ray. He ghosts Collin, who comes back to find the apartment empty.

Collin’s father helps him search for Ray, but to no avail. Collin’s family might be a bit overbearing, but they want what’s best for him, and they’re there to support him after the breakup. As much as he might want to flee the pain of watching his mother die, he never completely severed ties with them.

Pillion ends with Collin returning to his barbershop quartet with his family. He fills out a form on a personals site, identifying himself as a submissive, but insisting that he won’t cut his hair for anyone, and he requires one day off per week. He’s formed a new identity, and he’s learned to set boundaries. In the last scene, he meets another man at a football game, and takes the initiative in providing service to him.

Pillion asks the same question as many other movies about BDSM: if two people can have an intense connection in a BDSM relationship, can they also have a more conventional romantic relationship? Going Under and 9 1/2 Weeks said no. Secretary and Exit to Eden said yes. Preaching to the Perverted said sort-of. Pillion’s conclusion is that Collin is willing and able for that, but Ray is not, and that is his feet of clay. It’s Collin who has the strength to carry on.

While I’m interested to see a dom-sub relationship between two men in a mainstream film, I’m a little annoyed that there’s no scenes of negotiation between Collin and Ray. We just see the result, not the process. I’m also puzzled that we don’t see Collin shaving his head or receiving his collar, or removing his collar later (presumably with bolt cutters).

Pillion is significant because it critiques the fantasy of John Preston’s Mr. Benson, which I think is common to submissives/masochists of all genders and sexualities: your ideal dominant will spontaneously appear and pick you, for a life of uncomplicated servitude and great sex. You may approach people with years, if not decades, of accumulated fantasies of your perfect dominant, but that person is still a human being, with all the frailty that entails. And so are you.