Spoiler alert
A friend invited me to a movie festival to watch a film that is set in a specific sub-culture.
The trailer of the film – very promising; reviews – all high praise; so my curiosity got topped with high expectations.
Went to watch the film.
Must mention that my friend is working in movie production and also I myself dabbled in that business for some years.
What I think is unquestionable, is that the actors were brilliant. Whatever was written for their characters, they had made the most of it. Amazing, very expressive, moving.
The camera work, lighting, costumes, props, atmosphere were great.
And that is where my (our) praise ends.
The dramaturgy was mediocre at best and the story, well, impossible.
Sub-cultures are not well represented in movies.
Also, unfortunately, we live in a world where anything away from “normal”- whatever that may be -, is looked upon as less than, disgusting or even evil.
So when someone sets out to do a film about one, I strongly believe they must do the most to introduce, show, represent that sub-culture as close to real and best as possible.
Movie makers have a huge responsibility in this respect.
Hundreds of thousand, even millions will watch what they make and people will believe what they saw is reality.
Some even will take what they saw as a (new) standard and will try to implement some elements into their lives.
And because of all that, and also because I have somewhat similar interest to what was portrayed in the film, I got angry, upset, sad and disappointed by the time the film was over.
In the reviews many cried up that it was a beautiful love story.
Well, I thought it was about emotional abuse, and the strength of one who by going through it all came out stronger, with more self-respect and more knowledge about himself.
The problem is, that it is not real!
This hardly ever happens. Just for the sake of never say never.
One who suffers it usually first falls into pieces and if lucky enough to get out of such a situation then it takes a pretty long time to get back on their feet again. They nearly all the time need all the help they can get to rebuild themselves, to understand what had happened to them and to realize it was not their fault.
This film is set in the gay, leather, BDSM biker scene where Dom/sub relationships are the normal.
Now I am not gay, nor a biker but I am into BDSM.
I am into it for deep enough and long enough to know what makes a Dom/me.
Also as a coach I know quite a bit about relationship ups and downs, problems, red flags.
In this film the sub main character is fully elaborate.
We find out who he is, what his background is, what does he work, where he is coming from, what he is missing, what does he want.
And he goes through character development.
But the Dom main character … we find out nothing, I mean NOTHING about him.
And nothing happens with his character either. He turns up as he is, does what he does and then he goes. That’s it.
For fuck’s sake he hardly even speaks.
Having a dominant (confident, assertive, competitive, decisive, aim to lead) or domineering (arrogant, overbearing, authoritarian, disregard to feelings) personality absolutely does not mean that person is a Dom/me.
It must be understood. This is basic.
Such personalities are common, many can be seen for example in the business world, in politics, at any work place in the form of a micro-managing boss, or even as an unbearably controlling parent.
It is never based on consent.
A (good, real) Dom is something else.
They are confident, knowledgeable leader, great communicator, trustworthy, good listener, mentor, emotionally stable and open so are able to provide an emotionally safe environment.
Their “role” is always based on consent!
So call me old-fashioned, romantic, idealistic, hormonal, or whatever you want to but I believe he was not a Dom, but a dominant, even domineering personality who was emotionally damaged at some point from what he has never recovered and so he became an emotionally unavailable man, who had a stone wall around him. And as soon as the wall was cracking, although he might have enjoyed it, he run away from what might have developed into a real love story.
And in the process he confused, hurt the one who trusted him, who gave him all he had.
It was not as advertised, that was not a love story but from one side an act out of desperate lack of love and belonging, and form the other, emotional abuse, and selfish satisfaction of personal needs of an irresponsible man.
It is a real shame as this film could have been something amazing.
But like this, it was a harmful, a wasted opportunity.
In my opinion.
Pillion by Harry Lighton
Starring: Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård
