Dallas Fisher

First thing’s first, 50 Shades of Grey could never.

Meter maid by day, barbershop quartet by night. If you told me grown up Dudley Dursely (Harry Meling) was in a film playing those roles and giving one of the best performances of the year, I never would have believed you. You can’t just let his fictional film jobs describe him though. You also have to look even deeper at what makes his character in this so dominant. It’s funny to call him dominant when he’s the submissive in the BDSM relationship at the crux of this story. It’s also funny that I didn’t know who Harry Meling was in relation to this film until after sitting down for the screener, but man am I glad I know now.

I am maybe the least qualified person to talk about the subject matter in this movie, so I will do my absolute best to describe what made me like this so much. That’s the great thing about movies though, we all get to watch them and experience stories in worlds we aren’t accustomed to. It’s not sci-fi or a fantasy, it’s real life put to screen. Pillion is the most educational movie I have watched in a long time. Without feeling exploitative, it pulls you in and makes everything relatable, hilarious, and downright beckoning. There are times you will want to look away from sheer awkwardness, but that is just another notch in the belt that makes this so perfect.

The chemistry between aforementioned Meling and his counterpart Alexander Skarsgard is so palpable. Opposites attract on and off screen in the most handsome of ways. In no other realm does Skarsgard take the backseat to anyone, but he does here. That’s not to say he isn’t dominant in his own right, or that I wouldn’t heed his every word, but he fits right into the secondary role. This type of relationship was meant for the big screen. Their own understanding of the relationship between them adds a rom-com type atmosphere that has you feeling hot and bothered, and it’ll have you dying laughing from time to time.

I can’t believe I’m about to describe this movie as a sitcom meets the Fight Club initiation scene, but that’s where my brain went! You can almost feel like you’re sinking your teeth in a movie about vampires where Colin (Meling) is a familiar trying to get approval. You’ll feel horrible for him at times as he fights for what he wants. If these weren’t roles people took on in real life, I would almost describe moments as humiliating and uncomfortable. Sometimes in order to make a romance work, you have to go through the tender and harsh parts. And, this movie is undeniably romantic. Leather fills the screen and a void I never knew I was missing.

I adored the devotion to these roles and to making a movie like this. To say it’s brave was something that would have been said two decades ago, but there’s still parts of this that feel that way. There’s some great visual gags that you’ll realize are crumbs leading to the ultimate treat. You’ll get exactly what you need out of the intimate scenes and not a second more. It might not be your cup of tea, but the confidence in these roles will make you feel like you’re at Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard & Soft Tour.

“Isn’t love the whole point of everything?”

8.3/10