Pillion, the acclaimed British drama starring Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård, has landed a new streaming home in the UK. Lauded for its performances and wry blend of romance and comedy, this was one of the most lauded films of 2025.
The movie, from writer-director Harry Lighton, is based on Adam Mars-Jones’s 2020 novel Box Hill. It tells the story of a quiet man (played by Melling) who enters a BDSM relationship with an enigmatic biker (Skarsgård).
After having its world premiere at the 78th Cannes Film Festival last May before its theatrical release in November, the romantic comedy drama is available to stream in the UK on Sky Cinema and NOW.
Cannes/Element Pictures
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Sky Cinema is currently priced at £9 per month for existing Sky TV customers, while the Cinema package on NOW costs £6.99 per month. There’s a current deal for the Cinema and Entertainment package, which is a 70% saving at £6.98 per month.
Featuring Lesley Sharp and Douglas Hodge in supporting roles, Pillion garnered critical acclaim upon its release. Rotten Tomatoes currently reports a near-perfect approval rating of 99% from 193 reviews.
“A remarkable directorial debut by Harry Lighton, Pillion is an unconventional romance that soars thanks to its non-judgmental perspective and knockout performances,” reads the site’s critical consensus.
RogerEbert.com opined: “It’s a quietly devastating ode to the power of that self-discovery, a reminder that perhaps one of life’s greatest tragedies is that we can’t always remain in a relationship with the people we learn the most valuable lessons from.”
Associated Press noted: “Lighton is more keen to enjoy the unfolding dynamics of a relationship in the extreme, one that ultimately, like any other, is guided by needs and wants. And the performances are uncanny.”
Empire Magazine was full of praise, too, writing: “An unconventional love story that finds pathos amid the PVC, this triumphant directorial debut bares so much more than flesh. Bruising and brilliant.”
A24
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“It’s also a sublime piece of art. It’s outrageous that director Harry Lighton has made such an assured directorial debut,” noted the London Evening Standard, while TimeOut called it a “wonderful” film that’s “heavy with purpose”.
Elsewhere on Sky Cinema and NOW, other films that have recently been added to the streamers include ’90s-set crime thriller Caught Stealing, and Toby Jones’s British murder-mystery Flavia.
Pillion is streaming on Sky Cinema and NOW.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.