Pillion (2025)

Ray never once tells Colin what he’s thinking, and Pillion dares you to fall for him anyway. Alexander Skarsgård plays Ray as a handsome locked door, a biker who makes every rule and explains none of them, so half of this romance is a man you never really get to know. Harry Melling is the other half, and he’s wonderful. His Colin is a shy guy from Bromley with a parking-ticket job, a spot in a barbershop quartet and a room at his parents’ place, who suddenly finds himself cooking, cleaning and running errands for someone who barely says thanks. Harry Lighton’s first feature is funny in a dry, very British way, then quietly devastating. Lesley Sharp, as Colin’s mum, finally says out loud what the audience has been thinking at one very tense family dinner. It made $6.7 million worldwide on a reported $1M. An 8.3 because Melling makes a lopsided love story feel brave, sad and completely human. $729 says you catch yourself humming barbershop harmonies on the bus this week and keep going when people look.

What works: Harry Melling gives one of the most open, generous performances of the year, and Lighton finds dry comedy in deeply awkward places.

What doesn’t: Ray stays a mystery by design, so the romance can feel frustratingly one-sided, and some viewers will find it hard to root for.

Who it’s for: Grown-ups who like their love stories awkward, British and honest about who holds the power.