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Pillion

March 4, 2026
Purchase Tickets
Director
Harry Lighton
Released
2025
Country
Run Time
1h 46m
Rating
R
Format
Film
Archive
Pillion

Artist Bio

Director Q&A

Overview

PILLION stars Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling in a strikingly unconventional queer love story from first-time feature director Harry Lighton. Against the odds, it’s a film about a sadomasochistic relationship that feels at once provocative and unexpectedly tender.

Melling plays Colin, a gentle, socially awkward man whose sexuality is warmly accepted by his parents (Lesley Sharp and Douglas Hodge). Shy in most settings, Colin comes alive when singing with his barbershop quartet. His quiet life shifts when he attracts the attention of Ray (Skarsgård), a commanding, leather-wearing biker he meets at a local pub. Drawn into Ray’s orbit, Colin assumes a submissive role that is both domestic and erotic, navigating a relationship that offers intimacy alongside uncertainty, pleasure alongside pain. As their bond deepens, Colin is forced to confront what he truly desires, and how he understands himself.

While Skarsgård’s status as a magnetic leading man is well established, the film is also a revelatory showcase for Melling, widely known until now for playing Dudley Dursley in the HARRY POTTER films. Never mocking or moralizing its characters, PILLION blends humor with empathy as it explores masculinity, power, and performance, anchored by bold, committed performances from its two leads.

Reviews

"An unconventional love story that finds pathos amid the PVC, this triumphant directorial debut bares so much more than flesh. Bruising and brilliant."
– EMPIRE

“A deeply moving love story… chains, gags, and all”
— INDIEWIRE

"With immense sensitivity, the screenwriter and director Harry Lighton, making his feature debut, stages sequences that deepen the characters and expand our understanding of their lives."
– NEW YORK TIMES

"Pillion is a quietly devastating ode to the power of that self-discovery, a reminder that perhaps one of life’s greatest tragedies is that we can’t always remain in a relationship with the people we learn the most valuable lessons from."
– ROGEREBERT.COM

"Kinky as hell and also extremely romantic. That’s not a combo a lot of movies go for nowadays, let alone pull off this beautifully, and that makes Pillion something of a miracle."
– THE WRAP

"What Lighton has achieved here is incredibly delicate, intuitive work, which never compromises on the story’s explicit nature or in the specificities of its subculture."
– THE INDEPENDENT

"Pillion is often very funny without ever kinkshaming, thanks to the wry script, Skarsgård’s deadpan, and Melling’s guilelessness."
– THE DAILY BEAST

"Lighton has made a truly provocative anti-romance that’s funny, honest, strangely touching. It’s an exceptional balance act that makes Pillion the unlikeliest crowd-pleaser."
– THE FILM STAGE

What is

?

O Cinema South Beach

1130 Washington Ave
Miami Beach, FL 33139

Showtimes

Wed
Mar 4
7:00 pm
Wed
Mar 4
9:15 pm
Thu
Mar 5
7:00 pm
Thu
Mar 5
9:15 pm
Fri
Mar 6
7:00 pm
Fri
Mar 6
9:15 pm
Sat
Mar 7
2:00 pm
Sat
Mar 7
4:15 pm
Sat
Mar 7
6:30 pm
Sat
Mar 7
8:45 pm
Sun
Mar 8
2:00 pm
Sun
Mar 8
4:15 pm
Sun
Mar 8
6:30 pm
Sun
Mar 8
8:45 pm
Mon
Mar 9
7:00 pm
Mon
Mar 9
9:15 pm
Tue
Mar 10
7:00 pm
Tue
Mar 10
9:15 pm
Wed
Mar 11
7:00 pm
Wed
Mar 11
9:15 pm
Thu
Mar 12
7:00 pm
Thu
Mar 12
9:15 pm
Fri
Mar 13
8:45 pm
Sat
Mar 14
9:00 pm
Sun
Mar 15
9:00 pm
Mon
Mar 16
8:45 pm
Tue
Mar 17
10:00 pm
Wed
Mar 18
8:45 pm
Purchase Tickets

Event Details

• Adults – $12.50
• Older Adults (62+ years old w/ valid ID) – $10.00
• Students & Teachers (w/ valid ID) – $10.00
• Children (12 years old & under) – $10.00
• Military (w/ valid ID) – $10.00
• O Cinema Members – $8.50
(All tickets are available online and at the box office. Prices for special events and select screenings may vary. Please note ticket prices before you complete your purchase. All prices are subject to change without notice.)

All Miami Beach residents get 20% off Adult tickets on the FIRST MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH @ O Cinema South Beach! (w/ valid proof of residency)

ALL FILMS START EXACTLY AT THE LISTED TIME, AND ALL TICKET SALES ARE FINAL. NO REFUNDS, NO EXCHANGES, NO EXCEPTIONS.

Event Details

• Adults – $12.50
• Older Adults (62+ years old w/ valid ID) – $10.00
• Students & Teachers (w/ valid ID) – $10.00
• Children (12 years old & under) – $10.00
• Military (w/ valid ID) – $10.00
• O Cinema Members – $8.50
(All tickets are available online and at the box office. Prices for special events and select screenings may vary. Please note ticket prices before you complete your purchase. All prices are subject to change without notice.)

All Miami Beach residents get 20% off Adult tickets on the FIRST MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH @ O Cinema South Beach! (w/ valid proof of residency)

ALL FILMS START EXACTLY AT THE LISTED TIME, AND ALL TICKET SALES ARE FINAL. NO REFUNDS, NO EXCHANGES, NO EXCEPTIONS.

Purchase Tickets