The trailer for Pillion, the upcoming A24 romantic comedy, dropped this week, thrusting Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling into the spotlight with its unapologetic dive into queer desire and biker culture. Directed by Harry Lighton in his feature debut, the film adapts Adam Mars-Jones's 2020 novel Box Hill, centering on a timid young man, played by Melling, who falls under the spell of Skarsgård's enigmatic motorcycle club leader. Their relationship, laced with BDSM dynamics, promises a mix of tenderness and raw intensity that has already sparked conversations.
Indeed, the movie premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section back in May, where it snagged the Best Screenplay award and even the Palm Dog for its canine sidekick. Critics praised the duo's chemistry—Skarsgård as the dominant Ray, all brooding charisma, and Melling transforming from the boyish Harry Potter days into a vulnerable everyman. However, the trailer's glimpses of leather-clad escapades and explicit undertones have raised eyebrows, with Skarsgård himself noting in recent interviews that they filmed even more graphic scenes than what's shown. It's a bold swing for A24, known for edgier fare, but one that risks alienating some viewers amid ongoing debates over representation in LGBTQ+ stories.
Moreover, production wrapped under Element Pictures, with BBC Film and BFI backing, and the UK release is slated for November 28 via Picturehouse. Melling's character, Colin, navigates life with his ailing mother while discovering submission's thrills, a narrative Lighton handles with surprising heart amid the filth, as one review put it. Skarsgård, fresh off Succession and The Northman, brings his signature intensity, while Melling continues his post-Potter reinvention in films like The Pale Blue Eye.
Yet the film's 6.8 IMDb rating from early screenings suggests it's not without flaws—pacing issues in the slower domestic bits, perhaps. Still, as Pillion revs toward theaters, it leaves room to ponder whether such unflinching explorations truly liberate or merely sensationalize the edges of human connection.