Pillion · reception & legacy

How Pillion has been received, argued over, and remembered.

The arc

It arrived at Cannes 2025 sounding like a provocation — 'the Skarsgård BDSM biker movie' — and within months had flipped into something nobody expected: a beloved, crowd-pleasing romance, Certified Fresh at 99% and embraced as one of the year's warmest films.

What's debated

The recurring fight is whether Pillion is genuinely radical about kink or a 'dom-com' that makes BDSM cuddly enough for the mainstream — and whether that domestication is a betrayal or exactly the point.

Its footprint

Alexander Skarsgård showing up to the London Film Festival premiere in a backless leather look did more for the film's fame than any trailer — the photos of him petting a dog in it went instantly viral. The film also won Cannes' Palm Dog 'Mutt Moment' for its scene-stealing dachshund, Hippo.

Where it stands

An instant Letterboxd darling and already a fixture of the new queer canon — the rare festival breakout that fans, not just critics, adopted on sight.

Named by the director

Influences Harry Lighton has publicly named — the director's own word, distinct from the inferred lines of influence.

• Roma (2018) — Lighton cited Cuarón's camera language — shots developing through slow pans — as a direct influence, including on the way one of Pillion's party scenes opens.
• The Worst Person in the World (2021) — Lighton named Trier's film as a model for staying playful and light on its feet while handling heavy material — and a song in Pillion is taken directly from it.