Harry Lighton’s feature-length directorial debut “Pillion” brings a new genre to the big screen – get ready for the “dom com.”

The film stars Harry Melling as Colin, a mild-mannered parking attendant who still lives with his parents, and Alexander Skarsgård as Ray, an imposing, emotionally unavailable biker who puts the “dom” in the “dom com.”

The movie explores the unconventional dynamic between them, especially as Colin begins to devote more and more of his life to Ray.

Larisa:
I’m always a sucker for an intense love story, so I was very excited to see “Pillion,” and the idea of it being a “dom com” was especially intriguing since that’s not exactly a common genre of film to hear about.

I think there’s a lot to enjoy in the movie: For one, Harry Melling provides a strong emotional component that really brings the film to life.

The story really focuses on him, and his character development drives the plot forward. Melling portrays Colin with the right mix of humor, self-consciousness and devotion needed to seem realistic, while also having what I can only describe as the sadness of a kicked puppy.

Alexander Skarsgård also brought his character to life, although Ray’s demeanor and emotions don’t really fluctuate throughout the film. While being closed off and stagnant is a key part of Ray’s characterization, his character felt a bit one-dimensional at times, which is one of the critiques I have about the movie.

Colin is what I would call a “baby gay” at the start of the movie, and doesn’t have any experience with sub/dom relationships at the start of the movie, and, it seems, barely any experience with relationships in general. When he meets Ray, we can see him start to come out of his shell, even though he’s catering to Ray’s wants and needs while ignoring his own.

I think the film does a good job of depicting an unhealthy sub/dom dynamic, though at times it does feel a bit glorified.

The film depicts Colin and Ray’s relationship as not the norm in this community, and shows other sub/dom relationships within Ray’s biker group that are more emotionally regulated.

To me, the movie was less a romantic love story and more of a self-love story. In his dynamic with Ray, Colin finds himself and learns more about what he actually wants and needs in a relationship.

It’s moreso a story about learning to put yourself first, even when you have what Colin describes as “an aptitude for devotion.”

While I think the messaging is ultimately uplifting, I do wish there was more romance in the movie. The film centers on Colin’s character and, in turn, leaves Ray feeling a bit like a cardboard cutout of a “biker dom” stereotype.

Although it wasn’t meant to be deeply interpersonal, I think the relationship between Colin and Ray feels underdeveloped, especially as the film progresses and their relationship continues.

I also wish we saw more of Colin’s transformation into a member of Ray’s biker group. There’s a scene where he walks out with his head shaved, a pivotal moment for his character, and I wish the audience were able to see that play out rather than have it just be something that happened off-screen.

Overall, “Pillion” is a fun and unique film and a wonderful directorial debut for Harry Lighton. This is a must-see for queer cinema fans, but it is R-rated, so be careful taking your family!

Gib:
I remember when this movie was first announced, and everyone found out the guy who played that horrible kid in Harry Potter was going to star in a romantic comedy film that took a deep dive into sub/dom relationships within the queer community.

Who would have thought? Not me, certainly, but I’ll watch almost anything that has a British guy getting a little gay with it.

Overall, the driving force here happens to be that horrible kid, actor Harry Melling, who plays timid British man, Colin. His performance here holds the emotional core, humor, story and driving force for the entire film. “Pillion” would have been far less intriguing without such a strong leading performance.

Melling is charming, despite his being very scared the entire time, and the entire point of his character is that he is weak and submissive. I would even say that he dominates the screen every time he appears, with a very strong emotional core.

Melling is hilarious here, with his awkwardness creating an environment that is never too tense despite the occasional strong topics, and showing the audience that his character is a genuinely kind and caring person, especially through his interactions with his parents throughout the film.

He is the kind of character, though, who lets himself be mistreated constantly so as not to upset anyone, which is thankfully something that he grows out of throughout the film.

Unfortunately, where the film falls short for me is the "romantic" aspect of the romcom, which I guess makes sense given that it’s been referred to instead as a “dom com”.

The chemistry between Colin and Alexander Skarsgård’s character, Ray, isn’t fully there for me, partly because of the fact that Ray doesn’t really develop at all during the film’s runtime.

This isn't to say that Skarsgård did a poor job in this role; in fact, I think he portrayed this emotionally unavailable and closed-off character very well. However, given the nature of the relationship and who Ray is, the emotional development between the two is stagnant and nearly nonexistent.

One of the only times there is any emotional core between the romantic leads comes only after a tragedy befalls Colin, and the audience barely sees them have a conversation until one-third through the movie.

This aspect is even in stark contrast to the other members of Ray’s gay biker gang, who are in similar sub/dom relationships, but still have what seems to be genuine care for each other.

All of this does seem to be the point, though, as it is stated multiple times that the relationship here is not meant to be a romantic one.

The issue is that it seems the film wants to still depict it as one, with Melling’s character’s devotion and eagerness to please, along with lingering touches and star-crossed gazes.

Unfortunately, though, I mostly just wanted Colin to get the hell out of there.

This is a story about devotion, not love, really. So to those who are reading this, go enjoy your dom/sub relationships if you please, just develop those boundaries, people!