Latest news with #HarryMelling
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Pillion' Review: Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling Are Magnificent in a Wildly Explicit and Strangely Sweet BDSM Romance
Dick-sucking, boot-licking, and ball-gagging are de rigueur for a movie like writer/director Harry Lighton's wildly graphic and strangely moving BDSM romance, 'Pillion.' But for a British queer film that puts the particulars of a gay dominant-submissive affair (or arrangement, better yet) up front and up close, actors Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling find the sweet center of a story marked by clamps, cages, and assless unitards. No doubt comparisons will arise to another A24 movie, 'Babygirl,' which last year put Nicole Kidman on all fours, crying out to Harris Dickinson that 'I'm gonna pee!' when actually she was just having an orgasm with another person for the first time. Lighton, adapting Adam Mars-Jones' book 'Box Hill,' really does take us there in the delightful 'Pillion,' with Skarsgård getting more emotionally naked than ever and almost physically more than he ever got as Eric Northman on TV's 'True Blood.' But not without, at first, this leather-clad biker, who seeks a submissive with seemingly disinterested vibes, radiating aloof energy when he first meets barbershop quartet singer Colin (Melling, in a truly special and wonderful breakout performance). A parking garage attendant by day and dandied-up singer by night who's just a bit too old to still be living with his parents — though his mum (Lesley Sharp) is dying of cancer, which in part keeps him home — Colin isn't so much looking for love or companionship or sex as much as he finally happens to fall into it when on Christmas Eve he's asked for a date, of sorts, by Ray (Skarsgård, who looks and sounds more and more like his father with each day). More from IndieWire Jodie Foster: 'Silence of the Lambs' Filmmaker Jonathan Demme Is My 'Favorite Feminist Director' LA Mayor Karen Bass Wants to Cut the Red Tape Required to Get a Movie Made in Hollywood Ray is an enigma and a mystery, a man who zips into town on a motorbike like a phantom and could just as easily evaporate at any minute. He's not at all giving of emotion toward Colin as their courtship — again, if we can call it that — turns into a serious but never sinister game of domination and submission. When Ray eventually brings Colin back to his ascetically composed apartment, he refuses to let Colin hang up his coat. He refuses Colin to have much volition at all. Ray also has a tattoo in the middle of his chest, inked with the names 'Ellen Wendy Rosie' for reasons never explained but all the more to add to his impenetrable allure. It's penetrating Colin — physically, psychically — that he eventually gets around to after some toying and coying. He won't let Colin sleep next to him, keeping him on the floor like a dog at the foot of the bed. Here's the kind of guy for whom Karl Ove Knausgård 's 'My Struggle' is light bedtime reading. Colin's mother is shocked when Ray makes him buy the groceries and cook his own birthday dinner. 'You couldn't upset me if you tried,' Ray, ever the implacable and gorgeous dominator, tells Colin at one point. What makes 'Pillion' so thrustingly good is how much the movie teases and tantalizes us, getting off on withholding, until finally unleashing in all its graphicness once Colin is face down, plunging his mouth on Ray's quite large, pierced cock, plunging ever deeper into Ray's expansive kinky social world. Scissor Sisters lead Jake Shears makes his acting entrance as one of the submissives orbiting Ray — and he ends up one of the stars of a very hot group sex scene splayed out over a picnic table, in which Ray fucks Colin face to face, eyes locked on eyes, for the first time. It warms the cockles of my heart still to think about Colin, having shaved his head and totally turned himself over to acts of devotion and in service of his master, wearing a locked chain around his neck, with Ray wearing the key around his own. 'Next to you, I'm nothing. When I'm yours, I'm the same,' Colin tells Ray, which sounds like the debased line of someone being desperately exploited by a partner. But Colin says it with the cadence of love, which his mother in her dying days simply cannot understand. Colin willingly puts himself in an abject position because what's happening between him and Ray is love, for him at least, even if that version of love doesn't comfortably conform to our understanding of what love is supposed to be, a system of back-and-forth flow in mutual directions. Colin craves Ray's command, and Ray would be lying if he said he wasn't feeling feelings about his boytoy, too. Which is when 'Pillion' takes an unexpected direction, Colin finally assuming more control over the relationship and becoming the emotional power bottom he was destined to be in their dynamic. What makes 'Pillion' work so well is that the film finally does give way to a big emotional release after so much cockteasing and edging of the audience and of Colin. Cinematographer Nick Morris has an eye for both sweaty intimacy in its hottest moments and the pooling reserves of desire and reined-in emotion that require a certain detachment. Until we are snapped back into what is ultimately a deeply moving love story, one where we become the submissives to Lighton's strange, beautiful, and sexy vision. It also never hurts to be anchored by two actors who are totally game and committed to that vision, and willing to go there, chains, gags, assless chaps and all. 'Pillion' premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. A24 will release the film at a later date. Want to stay up to date on IndieWire's film and critical thoughts? to our newly launched newsletter, In Review by David Ehrlich, in which our Chief Film Critic and Head Reviews Editor rounds up the best new reviews and streaming picks along with some exclusive musings — all only available to subscribers. Best of IndieWire The 25 Best Alfred Hitchcock Movies, Ranked Every IndieWire TV Review from 2020, Ranked by Grade from Best to Worst
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
X-rated BDSM film starring Harry Potter actor edited down due to extreme sex scenes and nudity
One of the most critically-acclaimed movies to screen at Cannes this year has been edited down due to its graphic nature. Pillion, which stars Alexander Skarsgard and Harry Melling, 36, who played Dudley Dursley, is a gay BDSM-themed romance from first-time feature writer-director Harry Lighton. The movie received an eight-minute standing ovation, but Lighton admits that the version screened at the iconic film festival had been edited down significantly due to its graphic sex scenes. 'It was purely because I didn't want to push the audience into feeling they were being deliberately shocked by an image,' he explained to Variety. 'So for example, there was one close up of a d**k, a hard d**k … like down the barrel of the lens. And after watching the film on that "f**k-off" screen I thought, yeah, cutting it was probably the right decision!' Skarsgard chimed in, 'There's definitely a raunchier version of this movie … what you've seen is the family friendly version… there's also the Alexander Skarsgard cut.' Lighton admits that Pillion may need to undergo even more edits to ensure that it can get a US release. The film explores the BDSM relationship between a gay biker and a parking attendant - with the project earning rapturous applause at the premiere. A synopsis reads: 'Colin, a timid man, meets Ray, a confident biker gang leader, who initiates him into a submissive relationship, challenging Colin's mundane existence and prompting personal growth through their unconventional dynamic.' Before the screening, director Lighton said he wanted the film 'to make you laugh, make you think, make you feel and make you horny.' The film features explicit sex scenes and kinky BDSM costumes but Cannes audiences were still lapping it up. Melling stars as shy Colin, whose humdrum life in the suburbs is blown apart when he meets Skarsgard's character Ray. Ray strikes up a sexual relationship with Colin and integrates him into his queer biker milieu, injecting his life with a fresh dose of excitement and mystique. However Colin eventually starts to feel stifled by the fact that he always has to occupy the submissive role in his dynamic with Ray. Skarsgard has spoken freely in the past about how comfortable he is playing nude scenes, quipping to uInterview: 'I'm Scandinavian, godda***it! We love to be naked.' The Swedish hunk is also no stranger to gay sex scenes, thanks to his star-making turn on the vampire show True Blood. One of the scenes was with heterosexual actor Theo Alexander, whose anxiety Alexander had to help assuage before they shot the sequence. 'He's also a straight guy and he was nervous; he had never kissed a guy before,' Alexander explained in an interview with PrideSource. He said to Theo, 'Look at the scene. It's this nemesis and he comes in and then it gets seductive and you think they're gonna make love and it gets into that and then suddenly my character stabs him in the back and he explodes.' The actor added, 'In two minutes, look at this emotional rollercoaster we're taking the audience on. If we commit to this, it's going to be an amazing scene and we're going to be very happy with it forever. If we hold back, that's when it gets awkward.' Skarsgard is himself heterosexual and is in a long-term relationship with Swedish actress Tuva Novotny, with whom he welcomed a baby in 2022.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
All the Details Behind Alexander Skarsgård's BDSM-Inspired Cannes Looks
This year's Cannes Film Festival organizers may have banned the infamous naked dress, but they didn't say anything about BDSM-themed dressing—for men, at least. Ironically, while the dress code has devoted its attention to restricting women's attire on the red carpet, Alexander Skarsgård's kinky thigh-high boots and mismatched sequin suit have bent the rules of propriety in a way that feels humorous, yet irreverent. The Swedish actor is currently at the festival promoting his upcoming movie, Pillion, where he plays Ray, the handsome leader of a queer biker club who takes on Colin (played by Harry Melling) as his sexual submissive. The film is already a festival favorite, receiving a warm seven-minute standing ovation. So why not lean into the character and promote it even more? If anything, themed dressing and red carpet Easter eggs have become the norm thanks to stylist-celeb power duos like Zendaya and Law Roach. From dressing Zendaya in archival cyborg-like Givenchy by Alexander McQueen for the Dune: Part 2 press tour to a custom tennis-printed Loewe dress for a Challengers premiere, every photo call has become an opportunity for subliminal messaging. Others have pushed the boundaries even further, going full method, like Timothée Chalamet who attended the New York premiere of A Complete Unknown dressed in a perfect recreation of a Bob Dylan outfit from 2003, blonde swooping hair and all. Skarsgård isn't a stranger to pushing the style envelope or channeling his roles through gimmicky fashion either. When promoting his film Infinity Pool, the actor wore a leather leash around his neck to walk the carpet. Albeit, it was a jarring sight for the context, but it directly referenced a scene from the movie and felt appropriately authentic to the celebrity's eccentric demeanor. At the Cannes photo call for Pillion's screening, the actor sported Loewe leather trousers paired with a thrifted BDSM graphic T-shirt depicting a faceless leather boot stepping on a man's open mouth—he is playing Colin's 'dom' after all. Later, on the red carpet, Skårsgard donned a full look from Saint Laurent's spring 2025 menswear collection, including the uniquely sensual over-the-knee leather boots (which have also been seen on Pedro Pascal). The sartorial madness didn't stop there. For the premiere of Eagles of the Republic, the actor stepped out in what could only be described as a Frankenstein-like suit. All styled by Harry Lambert, Skarsgård wore a gray striped Magliano jacket, oversized pink bow tie, and contrasting cobalt sequin trousers from Bianca Saunders. Daring? Yes. More so than a leather leash at a movie premiere? Not quite. Sometimes an ensemble simply comes along that is so perfectly sacrilegious that you can't help but smile and accept the look as nothing less than a balanced work of art. Skarsgård might not directly be disobeying the Cannes dress code—he's adhered to wearing evening dress or a bow tie (as per the official guidelines) for the red carpet—but he's definitely toeing the line, not unlike his character Ray, and perhaps is setting the standard for others to do so too. You Might Also Like The 15 Best Organic And Clean Shampoos For Any And All Hair Types 100 Gifts That Are $50 Or Under (And Look Way More Expensive Than They Actually Are)
South China Morning Post
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Alexander Skarsgård's method dressing at Cannes 2025: the Pillion actor donned Loewe leather pants, thigh-high boots and Bianca Saunders sequinned trousers – thanks to stylist Harry Lambert
Alexander Skarsgård has taken method dressing to a whole new level, a trend previously embraced by Zendaya and Margot Robbie during their promotional tours for Challengers and Barbie, respectively. The actor's bold fashion choices at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival are certainly making waves. Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling at the Cannes Film Festival this month. Photo: AFP In director Harry Lighton's directorial debut Pillion, Skarsgård takes on the role of Ray, the leather-clad leader of a queer biker gang who begins a dom/sub sexual relationship with the meek Colin, played by Harry Melling. One of the more provocative offerings at this year's festival, the A24 film, adapted from Adam Mars-Jones' novel Box Hill, received an eight-minute standing ovation at the Cannes premiere on May 18. Advertisement Working with celebrity stylist Harry Lambert, who counts the likes of pop star Harry Styles and The Crown actors Emma Corrin and Josh O'Connor among his clientele, the Swedish heartthrob has spent the festival wearing a series of audacious ensembles that reference his character in the BDSM-focused film. Classic biker chic Alexander Skarsgård for the Pillion photocall at Cannes Film Festival 2025. Photo: WireImage Skarsgård's first noteworthy outfit was for the Pillion photocall on May 18. The 48-year-old's white T-shirt, leather trousers from Loewe and biker boots might have passed for an edgy but otherwise unassuming outfit – if it wasn't for the suggestive graphic on his T-shirt, featuring a black boot stepping down on a man's mouth. Skarsgård completed his outfit with a pair of aviators from Linda Farrow Boots for days Alexander Skarsgård on the red carpet for The Phoenician Scheme at the Cannes Film Festival this month. Photo: WireImage
Geek Vibes Nation
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Vibes Nation
'Pillion' Review: The Perfect Mix Of Sexiness, Humour And Emotions
Tackling the subject of BDSM in a feature always comes with the necessary challenges and risks, as the topic might still have a negative connotation in people's minds. However, that didn't stop first-time filmmaker and writer Harry Lighton from delving deep (no pun intended) into the world of whips, sex toys, and somewhat revealing outfits. This adaptation of Adam Mars-Jone's novel Box Hill is as steamy as you would expect but also much more emotionally intimate, human and touching. Don't expect a lot of conversations in this art-house psychological drama thought. Lighton didn't come here to play (or did he?) with words. Instead, he let cinematographer Nick Morris ( Sweetpea , Halcyon Heights ) and his sleek visuals do the necessary and enlightening talking in Pillion . To pull of a feature about BDSM and a darker sexual world that many of us aren't familiar with, you need two different leads who emotionally and psychically couldn't be further apart from each other. Placing two subs or two doms in front of each other wouldn't have resulted in the randy movie we're now getting. Kudos to casting director Kahleen Crawford ( I, Daniel Blake , Living ) and her team, as they found the right people for the roles. The submissive one present in this feature is Harry Melling, who has undoubtedly left his days behind as the insufferable brat Dudley Dursley in the 'Harry Potter' franchise. After getting a glimpse of his incredible acting talent in The Pale Blue Eye , it's great to see him in a much more complex, vulnerable, and meaty role as Colin, the awkward traffic warden. Colin still lives at home, is part of the local a-cappella group and is boyfriendless. He couldn't be further apart from Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), who he meets during a date night. While Ray wasn't Colin's blind date, when the tall, godlike Nordic man dressed in a complete leather riding suit steps into the bar, Colin has eyes for him only. Wouldn't you? Skarsgård certainly understood the assignment as the charismatic gay biker as he brings the right amount of dominance, fearlessness, kink and sexual tensions to this feature. You would think that after seeing Ray so comfortably taking off his clothes like no one's watching, Skarsgård's acting would be very superficial and physical. However, in even a film like this, the Murderbot and Lee actor delivers a more subtle and touching acting. From the moment these two total opposites meet, you'll be sucked into their troubled, tense-packed and steamy relationship (or arrangement). While at first, Colin certainly wears his heart on his sleeve as the sweet, shy boy who has nothing to hide from his parents (Douglas Hodge and Lesley Sharp), when he's willingly dragged into that dark alley, and later into the world of sex games, he lives a much more sinister and sheltered life. This results in a multidimensional performance by Melling, who becomes better and better with every scene that passes by. A lot is going on behind his eyes, secrets that he doesn't want to share with his colleagues or his parents. To them, Ray is just the loving yet bad-ass boyfriend. Melling's character soon unleashed the sub in himself with a thrilling curiosity and the necessary restraint. While for others, having to lick someone else's boots, sleep on the floor, cook all the time, stand up silently while eating and be mentally and psychically controlled would be enough to break the arrangement, Colin willingly goes along with everything. This is because this young gay man finally gets the chance to explore his sexuality, and what an exploration it is! The fetish community is soon embracing him and he even becomes close with both subs and doms as he's slowly but steadily finding his own identity. The better Colin feels in his skin, the more the dynamic between the characters shifts. Colin becomes much more confident and even tries to break free from the rules Ray has set for them. He used to fear that one wrong move would end their fiery agreement, but now he's becoming more vocal. He dares to share his feelings and wants to introduce Ray to his supportive parents, even more so because his mum wants to see her son happy before dying of cancer. But what happens when love and hope for a more traditional gay relationship appear right when a dynamic shift occurs? That's when Pillion truly becomes what Fifty Shades of Grey aspired to be. There's still a lot of wild fantasy, dark imagination and even bigger playthings, but the emotional level also increases immensely during the second part. The movie never loses its human connection and never becomes just about sex. For Colin, just having a sexual relationship isn't enough, while the dominating Ray has never seen himself as someone who would be cut out for a genuine relationship. However, even the most cold-hearted people aren't immune to the love from others. It wouldn't be a successful edition of Cannes if there weren't a scandalous film that would have the whole La Croisette talking. Last year, that certainly were The Substance and Anora, and look at the immense journey the films have made since they premiered. While an Academy Award won't be on the cards for Pillion , let's hope that this erotic push-and-pull game will reach as many people as possible, as it offers the perfect mix of sexiness, humour, and emotions. Pillion premiered at the Cannes Film Festival courtesy of A24
