‘Pillion’ Trailer – Alexander Skarsgård Dominates Harry Melling in A24’s Daring Queer Drama

A24 debuted the full official trailer for Pillion, a provocative queer romantic drama film, starring Harry Melling as Colin, a shy, directionless young man, and Alexander Skarsgård as Ray, an enigmatic leather-clad biker who unexpectedly becomes his partner in an intense BDSM relationship.

Also starring in the movie are Douglas Hodge, Lesley Sharp, Jake Shears, Paul Tallis, and Anthony Welsh.

Adapted from Adam Mars-Jones’s 2020 novel Box Hill, Pillion, from first-time feature director Harry Lighton, had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, where it won Best Screenplay and the coveted Palm Dog award, while also earning nominations for the Caméra d’Or and the Queer Palm. After Cannes, it screened at notable international events, including the BFI London Film Festival.

It is slated to open in select U.S. theaters on February 6, 2026, followed by a wider nationwide release on February 20, 2026.

In Pillion, Colin is an introverted young man whose life feels stuck in neutral: he lives with his parents, works a mundane job, and sings in a barbershop quartet. One Christmas Day, he meets Ray in a pub alleyway, a moment that launches him into a relationship defined by dominance, submission, and emotional upheaval. Ray’s world — a leather-clad community of bikers and lovers — challenges Colin’s assumptions about power, pleasure, and intimacy. As Colin adapts to a life of obedience and erotic tension, the relationship reveals not just desire’s grip but also what it means to trust, relinquish control, and find identity in unexpected connections.

In a review for Collider, Pillion was praised as “funny, intimate, and stirring.” The reviewer noted, “Pillion wasn’t the film I was expecting, and I am pleasantly surprised. It doesn’t coast on its set-up, Skarsgård’s presence, or the taboos it approaches. It handles all these and then some, combining a compelling coming-of-age story, an endearing comedy, and a sex-positive odd romance into one of the best films of the year.”

Watch the official trailer for Pillion.