Published Feb 3, 2026, 12:30 PM EST
Adam Bentz is a senior news writer at ScreenRant, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and lists. He studied creative writing and English with a concentration in screenwriting at Southern New Hampshire University and interned as a writer/journalist for The Borgen Project, an influential organization that fights global poverty.
However, one of his proudest achievements is editing a Leonardo DiCaprio freakout compilation that has over 150K views on YouTube. Adam also fancies himself an amateur film reviewer on his website.
Pillion has secured a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score ahead of its release. A24's new erotic movie stars Harry Melling, who is best known for playing Dudley Dursley, the boy wizard's insufferable cousin, in the Harry Potter films from 2001 to 2010.
Now, following its premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, Pillion has secured a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie has 73 reviews at the time of writing, so it could lose its perfect score as more are published. It doesn't yet have an audience score, though one should start to take shape once the movie releases in theaters in the United States on February 6.
Pillion was released in theaters in the United Kingdom on November 28, where it already grossed $1.5 million at the box office, surpassing its small $1 million budget.
Written and directed by Harry Lighton in his debut, based on the 2020 novel Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones, Pillion stars Harry Helling as a shy gay man who becomes infatuated with a mysterious and strikingly handsome biker (played by Alexander Skarsgård), and the two eventually start a BDSM relationship.
In addition to the Harry Potter alum and the Emmy-winning Alexander Skarsgård (Big Little Lies), the cast also includes Douglas Hodge, Lesley Sharp, Jake Shears, Anthony Welsh, Paul Tallis, Mat Hill, Nick Figgis, Zoe Engenrer, Jake Sharp, Jacob Carter, Cristina Carty, Zamir Mesiti, Rosie Sheehy, Miranda Bell, and Monica Purcell.
In ScreenRant's Pillion review, Graeme Guttmann gave the film eight out of 10 stars and wrote, "Alexander Skarsgård has never been better than in Harry Lighton's sexy feature debut centering [on] BDSM... For a first feature, it's a startlingly confident, overwhelmingly sexy debut for Harry Lighton."
Pillion was nominated for 3 BAFTA Awards for Outstanding British Film of the Year, Outstanding Debut by a British Writer or Director, and Best Screenplay (Adapted) for Harry Lighton.
Overall, critics are calling Pillion an offbeat romance elevated by its open-minded approach and standout performances, and an impressive directorial debut for Harry Lighton. Reviews praise the film's humor, tenderness, and refusal to judge – noting how it balances discomfort, eroticism, and warmth while treating queer kink with empathy and intelligence throughout.
Across the board, critics single out Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård for their fearless and finely tuned performances that deepen over the runtime. They also highlight director Harry Lighton's deft tonal control that blends comedy, melancholy, provocation, and sweetness and results in a surprisingly uplifting and humane film that audiences didn't know they needed until now. Pillion has undoubtedly earned its perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.
Release Date February 6, 2026
Runtime 107 minutes
Director Harry Lighton
Writers Harry Lighton, Adam Mars-Jones
Producers Andrew Lowe, Ed Guiney, Emma Norton, Lee Groombridge
English (US) ·