If you’re a film buff you are likely aware of Pillion, a film that just premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18. The film stars Henry Melling and Alexander Skarsgard. It’s about a gay BDSM relationship, and Skarsgard plays the motorcycle-riding dom character, a fact that will surely please many of his fans. According to Richard Lawson who reviewed it for Vanity Fair, the film is “not a leering, foreboding look at a subculture.” He continues, “too often, stories that delve into the margins of sex let an innate repulsion guide and color their fascination.” Ain’t that the truth! Pillion doesn’t shy away from the complexities of sexual cultures and relationships that experiment with power dynamics. Sexual subjects with identities and practices that don’t jive with the status quo are becoming increasingly under attack in this moment of heightened and targeted political rhetoric under the Trump administration. Thus, both sexual complexity and sexual diversity are especially important in representations of popular culture right now. Be sure to keep an eye out for when this film is available to the public.
Let me leave you with two fun facts: Pillion in French refers to the seat behind the driver on a motorcycle…you know…the seat that holds many a sub with their arms clasped round their leather daddies/mommas who are operating the vehicle! Fun fact two: the film is based on a novel called Box Hill. If you’re so inclined dear sexual subjects, check out this article written by the book’s author about his experience of being at the premiere of Pillion.
