... Oh, isn't love the point?*

 

*spoilers in that video.

That is something Collin says to Ray in Pillion.

I went to see Pillion because it's (at last!) playing in Chicago. It's the first time I've been to a movie theater in a while. I also realized I miss going to the movies. The experience with the big screen really is different. Streaming is... slightly pedestrian at this point. The big screen really does justice to the scenes in this movie where they are riding the bike or when they are together with their group. I’m going to rewatch this when it streams, but I’m glad I went to the theater to see it.

The movie is not really a straight up romcom. At least I didn't think so. It's not full-on drama, either. My friend Bri (who took me to the theater, thanks, Bri!) told me he thought it was not 'dark enough'. It seems that we both went to see the movie with two very different ideas of what we were going to see after watching the trailer. I think that's a good thing. Te movie surprised me: no coming out was necessary, no gay subtext: it was all ... text, no camp, no preaching, no teaching. It was just two men in a relationship. I know, groundbreaking.  

You see, to me it was more a movie about discovering who we are, about finding our footing and keeping our balance. And some of us find that balance in love. Some do not. And BTW this is Colin's (Harry Melling) movie. He's the center of all the action and even manages to distract you from Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) and that, babes, is a feat. Have you seen Alexander Skarsgård? His character is also sporting a Prince Albert, so, yeah...

I'm not a kinkster, so I do not share many of the opinions that Amp and Mr. Kristofer offer in their review, and I'm not an expert in BDSM (I've been tied up here and there *coughHuntleycough* but I have never had a full-fledged Dom/Sub relationship) so their opinion may be different. What I like are good stories and good cinematography and Pillion has both of those. The director expanded and improved some of the threads found in Box Hill (published in 1981, remember that, when you think about the interactions you see), the book by Adam Mars-Jones and they work really well on screen. After you see the movie, I'd recommend you read the book. The differences are not striking, but they are there...

So if the movie is showing in your neck of the woods (it's on wide release now) go see it and let me know what you think (remember, Hollywood only understands money, so if we want more LGBTQ stories we need to put our money where our mouth is). I've heard there's another version of the movie, a little more risqué and I would have really liked to see that one. Unless Skarsgård is teasing us the same way he teased Melling in the movie, that is.

I'd say it's a good date movie, also. Especially for those first dates when we show our best side. If this movie does not make you talk about sex, consent, boundaries and expectations in a relationship, nothing will. It's also one of those movies that function as a micro-cosmos without being preachy. We are, after all, just observers. It is not a documentary on kink, but it is a very good movie.

So, I recommend it. It ain’t You’ve Got Mail or Pretty Woman, but if you like movies that are sexy and thoughtful and fun, go ahead, grab some popcorn and get a ticket for one of those recliner seats STAT. 

XOXO