“BDSM on screen just meant a kimp in the basement”: The Kink community’s verdict on Pillion | film

“There is no single consent conversation.”

doctor Lori Beth Bisbee62, Edinburgh

Pillion feels very true to its roots as a film about leather. As a leather lady, I thought it was absolutely gorgeous. I loved the tension, and it’s very funny. It’s also incredibly hot.

There isn’t a single consent conversation in the movie, probably because that would be boring. I think it’s perfectly ethical not to include what might be a lengthy negotiation between Colin and Ray, but on the other hand, sometimes there’s no conversation, and people decide to take a risk. I’m all for people making their own decisions about risk, as long as they are able to evaluate it.

As a psychologist, I could see what psychological struggles they were trying to get away from. Ray may need to be in control because that is how he manages his emotions. When he loses control, it doesn’t feel safe for him. It’s hard to tell with Colin. He gains the ability to talk more about what he wants, after he understands what is being asked of him. It is important for people to be shown that a relationship of this type can be very healthy.

The sex in this movie is very impressive. It looked incredibly real. Any on-screen sex is usually hidden. But still, it’s raw. This will be a challenge for a lot of people.

doctor Lori Beth Bisbee He is a GSRD, sex therapist And intimacy coach And a psychologist.

Kruger After Dark, 55, Cambridgeshire

In the past, BDSM practices were often marginalized, misunderstood, and viewed as deviant or pathological. Representations of BDSM or fetishism on celluloid are often reduced to psychopathic sadists of the thriller-horror genre, or stereotypical, much-maligned basement gimps. With Pillion, we observe the human emotions and reactions that love interacts with BDSM, which many of us in the Kink community can relate to.

I see this film as the ultimate tribute to the origin story of BDSM leather. Gay leather culture arose in San Francisco in the late 1940s, ostensibly in response to post-World War II motorcycle clubs, such as the club to which Marlon Brando belongs in The Wild One (1953).

There are nods to the wider fetish community: latex, rubber, puppy and sports gear. There were many diverse pagan representations – steel chain chokers and key necklaces, signifying royalty, feature prominently. But oddly enough, there’s a complete omission of the BLUF (Breeches and Leather Uniform Club), the most prevalent iteration of leather in modern-day fetish. Maybe the producers wanted it to be as representative of the fetish as possible, but felt uncomfortable with the visual aesthetic of some of BLUF’s costumes, as do many in the Kink community?

However, Pelion is a long-awaited film about a community accustomed to stigma from both the mainstream and the LGBTQ+ community.

KrugerAfterDark is a fetish community magazine on Instagram.

“It has been proven that the BDSM experience is not only in the bedroom.”

Luca, 29, Oxford

Rarely have I seen a film so painfully British, what with the little princess’s dog on the date, the Christmas pub singing, and the complete awkwardness. The faltering but real support of Colin’s parents crystallized the complexities of trying to straddle two (or more) very different social spheres. The film relished the classic dilemma of being ruthless against control, but it was also unwilling to seize that control.

The most interesting part was Colin and Ray’s experience. We can see Colin seizing opportunities to explore something – an action, a date, a lifestyle, a self-description – and not succeeding at it on the first try, yet continuing to move forward. I expected the movie to crush their relationship at the first sign of opposition or resentment from Colin, and the fact that they didn’t make it any more complicated. We see him walking willingly, if tentatively, into unknown situations, and we discover that he actually enjoys parts of them, and we also realize that he does not have to keep the parts he does not or cannot work with. He is happy; He could be a little happier. one billion She nailed the idea that BDSM/kink is about experimentation and self-exploration, not just in bed.

“I cried four times”

Max Hovey, 26, Ashford

I was very impressed with Leon. It was nice to see something that showcased the less sanitized parts of queer culture. More often than not, the acting is either really painful, or this polished romantic fantasy of weirdness. It was refreshing to see the rawer, more real parts of queer culture, specifically kink culture. There is so much I relate to. I think I cried four times.

Pelion is an absolutely stunning portrait of loneliness, and it highlights how difficult dating can be for gay people. I’m a guy who lives in a small town, and dating is really hard. It can feel very lonely, and the film really highlights that.

In terms of Ray and Colin’s sexual dynamic, it seemed like a lot of their love story was a metaphor for how we accept much less than we want and much less than we feel we deserve. Throughout the film, Colin accepts less than he wants. He longs for something more connected. You can see in the New Year’s scene that he clearly feels lonely and isolated, so he accepts any form of contact, even if it is purely sexual. It’s something a lot of gay people can relate to. When you feel lonely, you go along with things to feel any form of connection.

Max Hovey is Queer Intimacy Educator.

‘Heartstopper is beautiful but I never saw myself in it before. “A billion was different.”

Thalia, 33, Oxford

I remember the first time I attended a networking party. It was exhilarating. The rules that bothered me in my daily life were turned upside down. When I left, I was literally ecstatic. I remember the person who invited me said: “Welcome to the new way of the world.” I carried this other “world” with me for days. I sat there on the tube, looking at the people with the feeling that they had no idea what was going on around them. I was the keeper of a wonderful secret, and it didn’t seem like any of the old boundaries of my life had any power over me anymore. Billion captured this feeling perfectly. I’m not sure how people would react to Colin’s decision to tolerate (or even enjoy) Ray’s treatment of him, but to me, his motives were pretty clear.

The problem with the other world is that you can’t live in it all the time. There’s a lot of talk and fantasies in the kink community about 24/7 BDSM relationships — and I’m sure some people engage in them — but at some point, someone’s going to have to file taxes. Billion is not afraid to sit at that uncomfortable juncture where fantasy meets reality.

As a lesbian, I think one of my favorite things about Pillion is that it’s a weird movie, but everyone in it is a little bit wrong. Some of us are perverts, and that’s normal. Shows like Heartstopper are great, but I never saw myself in them before. I’m human, I have flaws, and I’ve been in bad relationships. Even though my ex wasn’t a whipping dad — even though I did ride in the backseat of a motorcycle with her once — there were beats in this movie that were relatable not because they were weird, but because they summed up that desperate feeling of toxic first love.

Oh D Queer55, Shropshire

I take my hat off to [director] Harry [Lighton] To have the balls to make this movie. I think it’s funny, really thought-provoking, and sheds a lot of light on the way relationships work in our leather community. There are many moments in the film that touched my heart. I see a lot of my mother and father in Colin’s parents.

The Kink community, to me, is the only place where there is a group of people all together and showing off all their vulnerabilities. They are their most authentic selves because you see them as they truly want to be seen. Obviously they won’t walk around in it 24 hours a day, although some might. But I think it’s very rare to experience this level of authenticity and vulnerability in a world full of lies and bullshit.

Being immersed in this community is a true treasure. I’ve made some incredibly strong and loyal friendships through the Kink community, simply because I know more about that person than some of their best friends or family members do. It’s really special to be a part of that authenticity, as you don’t see it in many other areas of life. I appreciate it.

I really like this movie, and I hope it can dispel myths about society. There is a lot of warmth and a lot of humanity in Pelion.

Oh D Queer He is a steel artist and designer Some of his works appear in Pelion.