Buckle up (and maybe bring a safe word). The 2025 Cannes Film Festival has revealed its official lineup—and this year, it’s bringing a thrilling wave of queer stories, including one scandalously seductive motorcycle romance that’s already revving engines.
Among the buzziest world premieres is Pillion, the debut feature from director Harry Lighton. The film, which Variety has cheekily described as a “fun and filthy romance with heart,” stars Alexander Skarsgård (The Northman) and Harry Melling (The Queen’s Gambit) in what’s shaping up to be one of the most talked-about entries at the festival.
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Pillion, named after the back seat of a motorcycle, follows Colin (Melling), a shy, unassuming man drifting through life—until he meets Ray (Skarsgård), a magnetic motorcycle club leader with a commanding presence and a flair for kink. What starts as an erotic thrill ride quickly deepens, as Colin is pulled into a tight-knit community of queer bikers, awakening new desires and emotional truths.
“Ray uproots Colin from his dreary suburban life,” Variety reports, “introducing him to a community of kinky, queer bikers and taking all sorts of virginities along the way.” But as the lines between liberation and domination blur, Colin begins to question whether he’s truly found freedom—or simply traded one kind of confinement for another.
If that doesn’t scream “Cannes chaos,” we don’t know what does.
But Pillion is just one of several standout LGBTQ+ stories headed to the Croisette this year. The lineup also features Rebecca Zlotowski’s Vie Privée, starring Jodie Foster as a high-profile psychiatrist investigating the mysterious death of a patient; Kelly Reichardt’s high-stakes heist film The Mastermind; and Oliver Hermanus’ historical romance The History of Sound, which stars Josh O’Connor and Paul Mescal as two men recording folk songs—and falling in love—while traveling across the U.S. during World War I.
With themes spanning mystery, music, mayhem, and motorcycles, the 2025 Cannes Film Festival promises a bold and eclectic celebration of cinema.
The festival runs from May 13 to May 24 on the iconic French Riviera. Bring your sunscreen—and your emotional armor.
