Screening times:
Sunday, April 19, 5:30 PM

Harry Lighton | UK, Ireland | 2025 | 107m

Colin (Harry Melling) is a shy parking attendant who lives a quiet life with his parents, singing with his dad in a barbershop quartet every week at the pub. One evening he is approached by impossibly-handsome biker Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) and a bittersweet journey of self-discovery begins. After a wordless hookup in an alley, the two embark on a strict BDSM relationship. Colin does the housework and sleeps on the floor in return for the most intense relationship, sexual or otherwise, he’s ever known.

Pillion is an assured first feature from Harry Lighton, who had this to say about his main cast: “Together I think they bring shape and complexity to characters that in other hands could quickly become 2D stereotypes. The subtlety of their performances is key to the pathos of the film.” Pillion arrives at Carbon Arc after a buzzy festival run (Toronto Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, Zurich Film Festival among others,) and a win for Best Screenplay in the "Un Certain Regard" section at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Oh, did we mention Alexander Skarsgård?

“Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling are magnificent in a wildly explicit and strangely sweet BDSM romance.” - Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire

"Pillion” is a quietly devastating ode to the power of…self-discovery.” - Zachery Lee, RogerEbert.com

“This is a breakthrough role for Melling, erstwhile Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter movies. Colin is like a fledgling bird, all crazy-eyed intensity and compulsive chatter. It’s a joy to watch him come into his own, figuring out exactly what he wants and how to get it.” - David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

Winner: Un Certain Regard-Best Screenplay - Cannes, 2025
Winner: Best British/Irish Film of the Year - London Film Critics Circle, 2025
Winner: Best Actor (Harry Melling), Stockholm International Film Festival, 2025

Tickets $12 ($11.40 cash at the door)