Off Screen

A queer melodrama between a biker and a young man leading a monotonous life. For a debut feature, its staging is risky and daring; at times, it pushes that exposure too far. It moves away from the stereotype of the heterosexual biker and shows us an asymmetrical homosexual relationship between its two leads. The biker is the dominant party and the young man the submissive one, the film moving through fetishism and ending up in extreme sexual acts involving submission. Scenes of this kind come close to the explicit, and that is where the film risks alienating its audience.

What stands out is how convincingly its two leads sell the premise. Among gay bikers, a pillion is the submissive one, the one riding on the back of the motorbike. The story holds a measure of tenderness and boundless love set against a lack of commitment and affection. The script fits in moments of that very characteristic English humour. The feature is surprising. It premiered at Seminci 2025, where it won the award for best actor for Harry Melling.