Harry Lighton’s BDSM gay romance puts a naughty erotic charge in Valentine’s Day entertainment, a feature debut that is just about as irresistibly kinky as that late-night cable flick that made you blush, as well as one that’s – now get this – as sweet and liberating as a late Nora Ephron romance.
How is that earthly possible?
Lighton makes his interpretation of the novel “Box Hill” a perfect union of arousing smuttiness with a story about pursuing sexual and personal fulfillment. For that reason, he pushes back on obvious conventions. His film, as raunchy as it is, isn’t a skin flick by any means, and explores hard questions about desire and the need to shake ourselves out of debilitating comfort zones so we can find out not only who we are but what we want, both in and out of bed.
As a bonus, we’re rewarded with-sexy guys romping about in and out of form-fitting leather chaps and then in and out of tight wrestling tights. There’s even a hot group sex scene that’s certain to make some viewers blush.
As with many great romances, “Pillion,” too, relies on an opposites-attract lovers storyline. But this one centers on, and here’s where the film takes a road less traveled, a dom-sub relationship, which raises worried eyebrows for two parents over what the hell is happening to their withdrawn, nebbish traffic warden son Colin (Harry Melling, of “Harry Potter” film fame).
Colin’s doting parents Pete and Peggy (Lesley Sharp and Douglas Hodge) don’t know what to make out of the strapping, drop-dead-gorgeous biker Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) once he vrooms into their son’s lives. He challenges all their traditional perceptions about what a relationship can be.
With his chiseled bod and impossible cheekbones that make knees go wobbly, Ray is a demi-god, no doubt, but he’s also unwilling to share crucial details about his upbringing, let alone his job. His apartment is devoid of any personality, too. We get the sense he, too, is hiding from his self.
What he does possess is a bond with the playful brotherhood found n the tight-knit gay biking BDSM community. Colin turns out to be icing on the leather cake. Or maybe he’s actually something more?
Colin, a linear sort who performs in a barbershop quartet and lives at home (the film is set in Britain), finds himself intoxicated by Ray, whose presence and mysterious allure sets off a seismic shift in his timid soul. Soon he’s putting on a spiky collar, sleeping on the floor and engaging in sex acts (graphically shown) that he never imagined possible.
Some of those sexual escapades are funny, some are erotic and, depending on your predilection, some will make you a little or a lot uncomfortable. They also give this romance its heat, edge and unpredictability. We never know where this relationship is heading and Skarsgård and Melling know that too. They understand the tricky nature of both characters they’re playing — the veteran and the novice — as each begins to pierce the other’s emotional armor, even if it’s for a second, a minute, never an hour.
While there’s little doubt that Skarsgård’s unerring, stoic performance will spark the most conversation and send libidos soaring into the stratosphere, Melling’s handling of Colin’s sexual awakening is beautiful to behold.
“Pillion” is really all about testing ourselves, and tapping into a transformative power inside of us that comes when we stick our fingers into the fire and learn how far we’re willing to go for someone else and for ourselves. It’s a mature and thought-provoking film about learning to love and embrace your kinky self before committing to someone else.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.
‘PILLION’
4 stars out of 4
Not rated
Starring: Harry Melling, Alexander Skarsgård
Writer/director: Harry Lighton
Running time: 1 hour, 47 minutes
When & where: Opens Feb. 13 in theaters.
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