 |
| Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling in Pillion |
Cast: Harry Melling, Alexander Skarsgård, Douglas Hodge, Lesley Sharpe, Jake Shears, Mat Hill, Nick Figgis, Zoe Engerer, Jake Sharp, Jacob Carter. Screenplay: Harry Lighton, based on a novel by Adam Mars-Jones. Cinematography: Nick Morris. Production design: Francesca Massariol. Film editing: Gareth C. Scales. Music: Oliver Coates.
A god beckons. A lowly mortal obeys and is rewarded. But what happens if the mortal wants more from the god than he is willing to give? What happens when he rebels against the god? That's usually called hubris. When Marsyas, for example, challenged Apollo, he wound up being flayed alive. The fate of Colin (Harry Melling), the lowly mortal who challenges the godlike Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) in Harry Lighton's Pillion is painful but not so dire. Ray and Colin meet in a bar, have sex in an alley, and begin a sadomasochistic relationship. Colin remains a very human figure, a homely man who lives with his parents, sings in a barbershop quartet, and works as a parking garage attendant. Ray retains his godlike character: We never learn where he comes from or what he does for a living when he isn't cruising with his pack of gay biker buddies, each of whom has his own sub who rides pillion and does their bidding. The one person who dares to question who Ray really is, Colin's mother, dies. Lighton finds a wonderfully satisfying middle ground between mythic tale and gay porn in telling this story. It's a provocative film that transcends sensationalism, reminding me of some of D.H. Lawrence's explorations of the mysteries of sex.
