Synopsis
How to Have Sex is a British film that came out in 2023, and it deals with the many struggles of growing up, consent, and relationships all while basking in the sun during summer vacation. The film centers around 3 British 16-year-old girls, Tara, Skye, and Em who travel to Malia, a party city in Greece, to take a break after finishing their school exams. The girls intend to enjoy the wild nights, reckless fun, and the sexual escapades the trip promises birth to.
Out of the trio, Tara stands out for being the most introverted and inexperienced. She happens to be a virgin, shy, and is heavily influenced by the more sociable friends. Skye happens to be a bold and daring girl who keeps pushing Tara to “grow up” and have sex not only for self-empowerment, but a way to take control of her life. Em is more on the quiet, reserved, and emotionally mature side and is often a silent participant in the group’s interactions.
While out at loud clubs or drinking cheap alcohol, a group of girls meet up with some older guys. Compared to his fun loving and boisterous friend, Badger, Paddy, a more respectful and quieter guy, appears to be a better option. However, as the holiday progresses, Tara becomes increasingly emotionally frustrated. During an intoxicated night out, she is forced to undergo a sexual experience with Paddy (Tara does not actively agree with the encounter), which she does not fully agree to. Although not openly aggressive, the encounter is enough to leave Tara feeling puzzled and traumatized.
The part of the movie that I semester focuses is what comes next; Tara’s emotional turmoil that this incident brought upon. Her spiraling emotional turmoil creates an unending loop of questions; What is the nature of this event? An assault, sex, or something else entirely? Em, the friend who has emotionally tuned and engaged up until this point, and the one who uncharacteristically gets frustrated and angry, is the first one to bring Tara’s comfort and emotional validation.
Cast and Crew
As Tara, Mia McKenna-Bruce gives a stunning performance to the that really captures the delicacy and emotional turmoil of adolescence. With genuine compassion and emotional depth, Mia’s performance has not only been praised by the public, her subtle gestures and emotional restraint is the basis of the human complexity and multidimensional side of her character.
Lara Peake plays Skye, who is Tara’s more assertive friend. Skye serves as a catalyst for Tara’s decisions, motivating her to undertake new things, but also adds pressure in a roundabout way.
Em, the more grounded and emotionally astute member of the trio, is played by Enva Lewis. Her character becomes crucial in the film’s later part as Tara begins to emotionally unravel.
Samuel Bottomley assumes the role of Paddy, a quiet, respectful young man who later becomes pivotal in Tara’s trauma.
Alongside them, Shaun Thomas as Badger, Paddy’s loud, humorous friend. While his attention-grabbing antics mark him as a more emotionally simplistic character than Paddy, he is far less interesting.
Molly Manning Walker, who made her feature film directorial debut with the film, also wrote it. A trained cinematographer, her grasp of visual storytelling is evident throughout the film.
Nicolas Canniccioni is in charge of cinematography. His documentary-style handheld shots combined with natural lighting infuse the film with a sense of raw authenticity.
An emotionally jagged, yet smooth, experience is how Fin Oates described editing the film’s vibrant party scenes and quiet introspective moments.
James Jacob enhances the film’s mood with subdued, haunting music, reinforcing the feeling of Tara’s emotional journey.
IMDb Ratings and Critical Reception
How to Have Sex has won praises from both the film festivals and the general audience. It has a strong rating on IMDb and other reviewer platforms. Critics acclaim the film’s sensitive depiction of teenage sexuality, consent, and the emotional scars that accompany them. The film’s critic highlighted the film’s honesty and emphasized the lack of sensationalism that’s often displayed in such films.
The performance of Mia McKenna-Bruce has often been regarded as a breakthrough. She has been praised for her portrayal of silent suffering and for making Tara’s emotional journey the film’s heart. The direction that Molly Manning Walker gave is described as brave, understated, and deeply empathetic, especially for a debut feature film.
It is the raw realism and honesty of the film that has contributed to its success. The film does not glamorize youth culture nor does it glamorize victimhood. Instead, it offers an invitation into the emotional turbulence that comes with being a teenage girl, caught in the foggy divide between want and manipulation. The film mirrors life, offering no simple or dramatized solutions to the complex nature of trauma, and the slow, subtle process of recovery.
Themes and Analysis
How to Have Sex tackles the underrepresented aspects of teenage life — the grey area of consent. Its title is provocative and misleading, although the film does not guide towards physical intimacy. Rather, it emphasizes the harsh reality of intimacy devoid of emotional readiness and the need for young women to fit into the norm of sexual icons. The film further explores the pressures of intimacy and sexual expectations put upon adolescents.
The idea of equating sexual experience to maturity is thoroughly critiqued in the film and the character of Tara embodies it the best. The party culture encourages her to try and become someone she is not ready to be. The culture — and so many portrayals of it in the media — strives to reinforce sexual promiscuity create a narrative where young women are unprepared for the emotional intricacies that come with sex, like regret, discomfort, or even betrayal.
Another big idea the film explores is the idea of social pressure, and performative conduct to fit what is deemed normal. Tara is shown saying, and in her actions, comprehensively displaying how sex is a type of accomplishment or a badge of honor which results in the stigma against virginity to further surge. That in turn results in Tara’s emotional vulnerability and confusion.
The movie focuses on undergoing emotions of female friendships. Em displays the most emotional intelligence while Skye is often seen to take the role of the careless friend. Em’s support for Tara during the final moments offers some hope. It suggests that healing takes place in the form of silent recognition of one’s presence, without need for dramatic actions.
Awards and Recognition
How to Have Sex debuted in the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ section and took home the section’s prize which is the most significant accomplishment of the first filmmaker. Alongside this accomplishment, the movie was a major discussion point in the cinema world.
The movie also received several other award and nomination recognitions which includes,
Best Lead Performance for Mia McKenna-Bruce at the British Independent Film Awards.
Best Supporting Performance for Shaun Thomas.
Nominations for Best British Independent Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Breakthrough Filmmaker.
Nominations at the BAFTA Awards for Outstanding British Film and for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer.
Many other international festivals also screened the movie and praised its concept for courage, emotional insight alongside artistry.
Conclusion
How to Have Sex is unconventional for a teen film. This movie tells a story that reveals our complexities on how sex, consent, and agency is approached with young people. There is no simple resolution and instead, the movie shows how trauma is often quiet, complex, and deeply personal.
Molly Manning Walker shows bold confidence with her direction. Her characters come to life with authenticity and the film’s themes have a striking immediacy in a world that is still grappling with how to have honest discussion about consent. With a powerful lead performance and a hauntingly real story, How to Have Sex is a film that doesn’t just ask questions—it demands that we truly listen to the answers.
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