I like a movie that’s not afraid to take a big swing. An original swing. Heck, even a weird swing. Truthfully? I’m willing to forgive a less-than-perfect movie that dares to try something new. In this day and age, it’s not often that a work tries to break the mold. Then I watched Pillion…

Pillion follows Colin (Harry Melling). Life is thoroughly mediocre. He’s living in a repetitive haze of work and performing in his Dad’s (Douglas Hodge) barbershop quartet. However, when a fascinating biker Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), comes into his life, there’s an immediate chemistry. As Colin finds himself Ray’s submissive, he learns everything he needs to know about himself. Lesley Sharp and Jake Shears co-star in the movie. Harry Lighton directs Pillion from his own script. 

Kids, Harry Melling is a treasure. Remember that. While most will remember him from his childhood spent portraying Dudley Dursley in the “Harry Potter” franchise, he’s been doing damn fine work over the last few years. Please Baby Please and The Pale Blue Eye alone show the sheer level of versatility he brings as an actor. 

In Pillion, Melling’s work as Colin is star-making, and frankly, I’m annoyed this film is coming out in 2026. I can say with little doubt that Melling would have made my “Best Actor” list had Pillion come out (in the United States at least!) in 2025. Melling gives a beautiful, emotive performance that doesn’t rely on dialogue. You feel every emotion with even the slightest look. It’s heartbreakingly good. 

Harry Lighton, meanwhile, steps behind the camera, making his feature film debut. Thrillingly, the young director’s work on this quirky romance brings the confidence of a far more experienced filmmaker. Few movies convey touch and with that, emotion, quite like Pillion. You feel every touch. Every glance is loaded with even the subtlest of emotions. It’s beautiful to watch.

This isn’t just a beautifully confident and emotional work, but I found myself immediately taken with just how unjudgmental Pillion manages to be. This is a film that’s deeply rooted in acceptance. 

I came into this movie expecting melodrama and pain. Lighton, however, never falls into what is ultimately a predictable pattern. Pillion is a movie that not only understands its world, but I believe it loves these characters deeply. It understands them. Pillion doesn’t care what the world thinks. It is fully invested in Collin, Ray, and their story, and frankly, it doesn’t care if you don’t understand. Not every movie is made for you. Remember that.

Truthfully, I worry a bit about Pillion. You know… marketing. I’ve heard this called “Heated Rivalry with motorcycles”. Heck, someone at our screening called this a “Dom-Com”. Kids, let’s not do the same thing to Pillion that we did to The Materialists. Let’s not qualify this as a modern rom-com. Don’t set it up for failure. 

Pillion is confident. It’s an utterly original work. It’s completely comfortable in its own skin. These actors and the creative team blend together to create a beautifully unified vision. Everyone is bought in, and it works. Lots more of this vibe, please.

Pillion isn’t simply a quirky rom-com. There are rom-com elements, sure, but this film is more than that. This is a sensitive, soulful, and occasionally painful story that thrives in its beautiful humanity. Watch it on its own terms. Let it exist.

Pillion is finally opening widely in the United States on February 20, 2026.

Originally published at Piercing Pop Culture.