École des Bro-ArtsFeb 22

Just got back from seeing Pillion out with a bunch of leathermen. It's surprisingly funny and tender, and close to its subjects. I liked it.

Ray's behavior at the end is jarring. Conflict, rejection, rupture--there are lots of ways that D/s relationships end poorly. But to deliver a perfect day and then just vanish? Leaving behind not only a collared boy but a band of leather friends with no idea where you went? That's rare. People in Manchester would be calling people in Berlin about it

Show threadÉcole des Bro-ArtsFeb 22
I think there's a slightly different edit of this film where Colin has a heart-to-heart with one of the other leathermen--someone who talks to him about how fucked up that was. Maybe shares a story of their own, or talks about how they see the duty between Sir and boy. That kind of conversation is what happens in the aftermath of a breakup, and would help frame Colin's path to healing and seeking a new Sir on his own terms.
Show threadDylan StaleyFeb 22
@aphyr the more I sit with it, the more I become convinced it was very intentional not to give the audience the comfort of such a scene. The entire time we’re shown these moments that aren’t How Things Should Work, and the conversation with the other boy even explicitly tells us this relationship isn’t healthy. Giving us a pressure relief valve in the form of a healthy, realistic conversation about the breakup would be, I think, a different movie, and lessen the impact of Colin’s growth.
Show threadDylan StaleyFeb 22
@aphyr that being said outside the context of “what movie were they trying to make” I’m just really bummed it didn’t even try to show that what Ray did was immensely fucked up. I do agree with you that there was an opportunity to leverage that community, show healthy relationships, give Colin some mentorship, and give the audience some comfort in showing that. It would be a different movie, of course, but I think the character journey would be essentially the same.
Show threadÉcole des Bro-Arts
@dstaley *nods* I can see that! I almost had the opposite read on the scene with the other boy though. Like--what a dick he's being! You meet people like that occasionally, but it felt weird that they have these group-belonging shots establishing Colin has found a crew, but also we see essentially no meaningful, supportive connections with any of them.
Feb 22 at 3:09pmWeb
Show threadDylan StaleyFeb 22
@aphyr ughhhh right?! The scene where he sees them after Ray leaves was just such a bummer when I saw it initially, because it read like the group _also _ rejecting Colin (which hurt to see even more!).
Show threadÉcole des Bro-ArtsFeb 22
@dstaley Yeah I was talking about that with my friend Todd and his boy Phoenix, and both of them were like "what the *hell*--in any community we've been a part of, those men would have told Colin how fucked up that was and brought him in for a big hug.