Cruising is a bit of a cult classic where aspects have aged like a fine wine and some aged like milk from when it came out, which this film was controversial back when it came out. However I think with a modern lens it’s a rather brutal look into pre-HIV gay BDSM, Leather culture. Some of which I found quite riveting however some I find exploitive to a certain degree. The films story is rather ambiguous but I find it tells the story of a never ending violence that faces **** people during that time of which can still be applied today in certain cases.
I think the acting is understated and I find the ending sticks really well thanks to its ambiguity and it opens itself up for discussions however it is very much so a film of its time.
There has been a lot of discussion within the kink community of whether Pillion's BDSM dynamic is a good beginner's guidebook to BDSM dynamics, particularly due to it's mainstream attention. What I can confidently say, out of my own experiences, is that it's not a good introduction hence it's not 10/10 . But I will say that I wish the film had more of Collin and Ray discussing what their relationship is and what it meant, but there's also Ray basically being what is considered an c*** towards Collin. No aftercare, no looking after one another.
However what I find is that it takes it's inspiration, Adam Mars-Jones's Box Hill and translates the dynamic into modern day England, than the books mid- late 1970s setting (of their relationship). I will say Box Hill's dynamic is a lot more grittier, and this is putting it very VERY lightly.
The reason I scored this movie so high is: Harry Melling, Collin, and Alexander Skarsgård, Ray, acting is phenomenal and does carry this movie so much; the inclusion of members of the Gay Bikers Motorcycle Club (GBMCC); the cinematography of particularly the scenes where Ray and Collin, the Pillion, are riding on Ray's bike and in particular it's ending upon reflection.
What the ending does is instead of Box Hill's rather abrupt ending it decides to challenge it, in it's own way, yet still answers Box Hill's tagline "A story of low Self-Esteem" of which Pillion 100% tells it's story.
In conclusion Pillion is a film that puts it's audiences into the deep end of the BDSM spectrum of which might be too difficult to watch for some audiences. It's indeed "A story of low Self-Esteem" which should leave it's audience with the question of is What we want truly what we need.
