Pillion

Shy traffic warden Colin leads a pretty dull life, until he meets Ray: his absolute opposite and the man of his dreams. Ray is clad in leather from head to toe, irresistibly handsome, and deeply charismatic. Colin completely surrenders himself to this macho biker, stepping into an exciting new world of sadomasochistic desire. But along the way, he will have to define the boundaries of his own devotion.

That’s the setup for PILLION, the provocative directorial debut of Harry Lighton, adapting Adam Mars-Jones’s novel Box Hill. Instead of judging, Lighton captures the dynamic between the two men with a healthy dose of sharp wit. It almost feels like a subversive twist on a classic English comedy of manners: the power balance gradually shifts, and it’s the ostensibly weaker partner who ultimately makes the greatest emotional gains.

The title, by the way, refers to the passenger seat on a motorcycle—a perfect metaphor for Colin’s position in their BDSM relationship. The film uses that spot on the back of the bike to playfully and creatively subvert themes like machismo and homosexuality. What starts as total submission to a charismatic biker evolves into a fascinating psychological game of power and desire.