Catherine O’Hara, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star and celebrated queer ally, dies at 71

One of the highlights of last week’s Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend took place not on the dance floor, but in a movie theater. In a new partnership, independent film studio A24 brought its leather-bound new film Pillion to DC for a special screening for MAL audiences.

“Pillion” is a term used to refer to a passenger on a motorbike who sits behind the driver.The story explores the complicated relationship between Colin (Harry Melling), an introverted, quiet Londoner who embarks on a journey of self-discovery as he develops a sub-relationship with a new Dom named Ray (Alexander Skarsgård) whom he meets at Christmas.

This is writer/director Harry Righton’s feature debut, sharing Skarsgård’s incredibly toned physique with Colin and the audience, and offering a public view of the BDSM community from an LGBTQ director. This comes from a studio that also just released a movie about table tennis starring Timothée Chalamet.

The Washington Blade had the pleasure of seeing a screening hosted by MAL and Leather Archives & Museum Executive Director Gary Wadin on January 18th at Regal Gallery Place. The Blade also had the opportunity to interview Wroten about the experience.

blade: How did you get involved in this film, especially since this is your directorial debut?

Ryton: Eva Yates (head of film at the BBC) sent me the novel “Box Hill,” which is the basis for “Pillion.” I’ve spent years trying to make a sumo movie set in Japan, but the pandemic suddenly made that impossible, and I was miserable. Then I read this book, and it was very lively, interesting, and moving. All good things.

blade: Are you involved in the leather community? Have you used any personal experience or made connections with the community?

Ryton: I’m involved in the wrestling scene, but not in the leather community. There I spent a lot of time with people such as: [in the community] During the writing process, we ended up casting many of them as bikers and buddies in the film. They have been incredibly generous with their knowledge and experience to me, Harry and Alex. I would like to thank them for instilling trust in the world on screen.

blade: How was it received at film festivals and in the LGBTQ community? Was it what you expected?

Ryton: Obviously, not everyone will like this movie. It will be too blatant for some and not blatant enough for others. Some people feel seen, others don’t. But the general reaction so far has been very positive. To be honest, I expected opinions to be more divided.

blade: How was it working with the actors?

Ryton:I had a lot of respect for their participation, but I thought it made me a little too respectful and a little too Colin-coded. But in addition to being extremely talented, they’re both lovely. And committed. And it’s fun! I always felt that working with actors was a little out of my depth in short films, but here I discovered a true love for it.

blade: Turning to the plot, the parents, especially Colin’s father, are quite supportive. How did you decide to portray his parents? What does it mean to offer a nuanced perspective to parents?

Ryton: I wanted to reverse the typical parent-child relationship in queer films, where parents go from rejecting to accepting their queer children. We meet Colin’s parents actively encouraging him into a gay relationship. However, when the relationship he reaches does not meet her definition of health, the mother withdraws her acceptance. What I wanted to ask is, are they projecting their own romantic models onto their son, or do they have legitimate concerns about their son’s well-being with Ray?

blade: How did you decide on that setting?

Ryton: Actually, I needed a place within easy reach of London. But I liked the idea of ​​Colin, who lives on the frontier, growing up on the edge of the capital. One of the producers, Lee Groombridge, grew up in and around Bromley and showed me around all the spots. I loved the atmosphere of the boulevard, the market and the contrast between the boulevard and the peaceful park. And I thought it would be an interesting place for Alexander Skarsgård to settle down.

blade: What do you hope the audience takes away from this film?

Ryton: There are no messages. Different people will receive different things from it. Personally, Colin inspires me to jump off a cliff and push myself beyond my comfort zone. Because that’s where life begins. From Ray, I got the courage to be ugly, the courage to walk away in the face of social conventions that didn’t make me happy or weren’t created for me.

blade: Talk about the soundtrack, especially the song “I Think We’re Alone Now” by Tiffany.

Ryton: Skarsgård’s Rey has a superficial masculinity that comes with his Viking-like appearance. I wanted to combine that with details that show he’s part of gay culture and that “I Think We’re Alone Now” is a camp classic.

blade: What does it mean to you to show a film at MAL?

Ryton: When we told the bikers in the movie that we were coming to MAL, they almost wet themselves with excitement. We put a lot of thought and effort into how we portray our community in the film, and it’s very diverse, with no two masters or subs being the same. But it meant the world to see a theater full of men in leather laugh, cry, and clap for this movie.