Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling star in the latest trailer for the upcoming dark romantic comedy-drama Pillion. The film made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2025. “I was hooked from the first page of the script,” Skarsgård recently said of the BDSM romance.
Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling are exploring the nuances of love and desire in an edgy new queer romance.
Pillion, a dark romantic comedy-drama that marks the debut of writer-director Harry Lighton, follows a shy and directionless man named Colin (Melling) as he enters into a dominant-submissive relationship with a tough and enigmatic biker named Ray (Skarsgård).
The film’s trailer, released on Jan. 14, opens with a shot of Colin curiously walking alongside Ray, who is dressed in a full leather riding suit, and shooting him glances in what seems to be a dark alleyway.
In the next shot, Ray slowly approaches him, wearing a pair of leather overalls with no shirt underneath, and says, “What am I gonna do with you?”
With a subtle smirk on his face, Colin responds, “Whatever you want, really,” prompting Ray to slowly unzip his uniform.
Following clips of the film share glimpses into Ray and Colin’s unconventional relationship, during which Colin slowly falls into submission while undergoing an edgy transformation and proudly wearing a collar that Ray put around his neck – despite growing disapproval from his family.
At one point, a woman asks Colin, “How did you get a man like that?” To which he responds coyly, “I have an aptitude for devotion.”
Toward the end of the trailer, however, Colin begins to question how truly happy he is within the peculiar dynamics of their relationship.
“Colin, if you’re not happy,” Ray begins before he is interrupted by Colin insisting, “No, I’m happy … I can just maybe be happier. That’s all.”
Prior to stepping into their racy onscreen relationship, Skarsgård said in a recent interview with W Magazine that he and the former Harry Potter star met two days prior to shooting the film – and they got acquainted in quite an unconventional way.
“There’s a big wrestling scene in the film, and we met rehearsing that,” he told the outlet. “It was great to get to know each other in our little buttless singlets.”
“I thought it was going to be more of a sub/dom story than a rom-com, but it was also sweet and tender,” he continued. “The initial description was: ‘Colin, a wallflower, goes on a date with Ray, the enigmatic leader of a bike gang, and it’s the beginning of a strange relationship.’ I was hooked from the first page of the script.”
Pillion will be released in select theaters on Feb. 6 and nationwide on Feb. 20.
