Between the ages of eighteen and twenty-one I went on four drinking holidays with my uni mates, and I still think back to how crazy those trips were. A constant cycle of fun in the sun, partying all night, and powering through some horrendous hangovers to hang out at the beach or hotel pool during the day. They were crazy fun, and when I first saw the trailer for Molly Manning Walker’s debut feature, How to Have Sex, it took me back to those sun-drenched days and drunken nights. I knew the film wasn’t going to be all fun because of some very difficult subject matter at its core, but it really did lure me in with its depiction of drunken holiday antics. I missed the film at cinemas, but the film recently released on MUBI and I loved it for reasons I didn’t quite expect.
Friends Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), Skye (Lara Peake), and Em (Evna Lewis) have just finished school and are awaiting their GCSE results. The trio jet off to Malia in Greece, hoping to sneak into bars and nightclubs, as well as join in the festivities of other young partygoers whilst pretending they’re old enough to be there. But when Tara is raped on a night out, she must come to terms with the violation she has endured and continue to face her attacker who’s staying at the same hotel.
How to Have Sex is a considerably more restrained film than I was expecting it to be. The first thirty minutes or so concerns itself with setting the scene and we’re treated to lots of party scenes. I had expected these to be more frantic, louder, more in your face than they actually are, but I liked the way that Walker allowed the party scenes to breathe and didn’t make them as overwhelming as they are usually portrayed. They do still act as a stark contrast to the daytime sequences which are almost entirely made up of laying around the hotel room or pool and nursing the mother of all hangovers, but this slightly more subdued representation of crazy nights out allows you to be an observer rather than in the moment with the girls.
It's a good choice because when things go south, you’re able to see how this awful thing happened a lot clearer. The immediate aftermath too is then given this eerie quality as Tara so desperately tries to carry on having fun but is struggling against her overwhelmed emotions.
Friends Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), Skye (Lara Peake), and Em (Evna Lewis) have just finished school and are awaiting their GCSE results. The trio jet off to Malia in Greece, hoping to sneak into bars and nightclubs, as well as join in the festivities of other young partygoers whilst pretending they’re old enough to be there. But when Tara is raped on a night out, she must come to terms with the violation she has endured and continue to face her attacker who’s staying at the same hotel.
How to Have Sex is a considerably more restrained film than I was expecting it to be. The first thirty minutes or so concerns itself with setting the scene and we’re treated to lots of party scenes. I had expected these to be more frantic, louder, more in your face than they actually are, but I liked the way that Walker allowed the party scenes to breathe and didn’t make them as overwhelming as they are usually portrayed. They do still act as a stark contrast to the daytime sequences which are almost entirely made up of laying around the hotel room or pool and nursing the mother of all hangovers, but this slightly more subdued representation of crazy nights out allows you to be an observer rather than in the moment with the girls.
It's a good choice because when things go south, you’re able to see how this awful thing happened a lot clearer. The immediate aftermath too is then given this eerie quality as Tara so desperately tries to carry on having fun but is struggling against her overwhelmed emotions.
Speaking of which, McKenna-Bruce was incredible here. Despite being the main character of the film, she probably has the least amount of dialogue between the trio and the group that they befriend in the hotel. She conveys so much with her face and body language, and it’s devastating to watch this young woman slowly break down and close off over the second half of the film.
The chemistry that she has with Shaun Thomas who plays Badger, room neighbour and fellow holidayer, is the heart and soul of the film. But the scene towards the end of the film where he seems to come to realise what has happened to her and who’s responsible made me sick to my stomach. So much was said with no words, and I thought it was a really beautiful moment that resonated with me a lot.
With Walker having trained as a cinematographer you’d expect a strong focus on visuals. Nicolas Canniccioni certainly delivers on that front with gorgeous shots that exude that party holiday energy. It’s bright, but also kind of dirty. It feels hot and sweaty to look at, the party sequences are vibrant and energetic, and the daytime looks like the calm after the storm.
I was also a big fan of the dance music soundtrack, plenty of great throwbacks to some of my personal favourites when I was at uni.
I feel that How To have Sex is one of those essential films that every young person needs to watch. The way it handles and depicts sexual assault isn’t done for shocks, it’s not gratuitous, and the way it explores coming to terms with the aftermath of it is very mature and honest. Its beautifully written, and McKenna-Bruce’s leading performance is fantastic. If you have the opportunity to watch How to Have Sex then I highly recommend you seek it out.
The chemistry that she has with Shaun Thomas who plays Badger, room neighbour and fellow holidayer, is the heart and soul of the film. But the scene towards the end of the film where he seems to come to realise what has happened to her and who’s responsible made me sick to my stomach. So much was said with no words, and I thought it was a really beautiful moment that resonated with me a lot.
With Walker having trained as a cinematographer you’d expect a strong focus on visuals. Nicolas Canniccioni certainly delivers on that front with gorgeous shots that exude that party holiday energy. It’s bright, but also kind of dirty. It feels hot and sweaty to look at, the party sequences are vibrant and energetic, and the daytime looks like the calm after the storm.
I was also a big fan of the dance music soundtrack, plenty of great throwbacks to some of my personal favourites when I was at uni.
I feel that How To have Sex is one of those essential films that every young person needs to watch. The way it handles and depicts sexual assault isn’t done for shocks, it’s not gratuitous, and the way it explores coming to terms with the aftermath of it is very mature and honest. Its beautifully written, and McKenna-Bruce’s leading performance is fantastic. If you have the opportunity to watch How to Have Sex then I highly recommend you seek it out.