I caught ‘Pillion’ at a Cineworld Secret Screening, where no one knows what they’re about to see. Within ten minutes, there’s a graphic moment that did lead a couple of people to walk out – but anyone who stayed was rewarded with a tender, surprisingly moving film about unconventional relationships and emotional vulnerability.

Harry Melling plays Colin, a soft-spoken, lonely gay man who hasn’t had much luck in love. His world is turned upside down when he meets Ray – a towering, leather-clad biker played by Alexander Skarsgård – who introduces him to a Dom–sub dynamic that is anything but conventional. Colin cooks for him, waits on him, and even sleeps on the floor. At first, it seems wildly imbalanced, yet the film suggests that, for some people, these roles can become a genuine form of intimacy and trust.

What makes ‘Pillion’ so absorbing is the contrast between the two men. Colin is timid and overlooked, used to being shouted at in his job as a traffic warden. Ray is enigmatic, hyper-masculine, almost mythic – and we never quite know his whole story. But the chemistry between them is undeniable, and the film explores how opposites sometimes fit together in ways we can’t fully explain.

Crucially, ‘Pillion’ probes the fine line between BDSM and emotional harm, and asks when a relationship dynamic is enriching – and when it becomes unsustainable. There’s a wonderful dinner-table scene where Ray unexpectedly meets Colin’s parents and bluntly calls out their judgement of the couple’s unorthodox bond. It’s funny, awkward, and oddly touching.

What emerges is a story about connection in all its messy, unexpected forms. ‘Pillion’ doesn’t pretend this relationship is built to last, but it suggests that even short-lived encounters can reshape who we are. For a debut feature, it’s confident, intimate, and full of heart.