Only a chance for one film this weekend, so I went for one I was surprised was coming out in our relatively small and risk averse multiplex, "Pillion". I enjoyed it, even if perhaps it doesn't have the sort of story focus that I like. Shy young gay man Colin (Harry Melling) begins a relationship with Ray (Alexander Skarsgard) an impossibly handsome biker, part of a local gang. Though never explicitly discussed, the relationship includes a domination aspect. This extends not just in their sex life, but in the domestic chores too and Colin comes to understand that the BDSM style relationship is a lifestyle favoured by all of the bikers. Whilst Colin is always a willing participant in the dynamic, he does come to crave a few more concessions to a traditional relationship, that Ray is unwilling to provide. As I say, I think I'm more inclined to overlook the failings of a film if it has a compelling story, than I am with something like this, where the story is slim, and perhaps even frustratingly vague at times, in order to provide a more in depth look the characters. Despite perhaps not being the sort of journey I was expecting, I did think, for all the explicitness of the sexual liaisons, it's actually quite a romantic film at heart. Colin is besotted with his handsome lover in a way that initially overcomes any resistance that he might otherwise have had to the power dynamic in their relationship. Ray is damaged, in a way that's never explained, and in the end the relationship as it is is all that he can cope with. Performances are great and the direction and script are strong, at the end though I came away just a little unsatisfied that more answers about the whole situation weren't forthcoming.

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