A breath-taking debut, an important message

Screening Daily Until Thursday 16th November

How to Have Sex is Molly Manning-Walker’s remarkable debut feature film. Having made waves at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the harrowing drama screened last weekend at Leeds’s International Film Festival with a director and cast Q&A and regular showings continue at the Picture House this week. Manning-Walker’s unflinching authenticity ensures her urgent examination of youth, consent and trauma deserves to be seen by everyone.

Three young British girls embark on a journey to Crete after slogging away at their A Levels, intent on finding booze, mayhem, and opportunities to ‘get laid’. So far this is a familiar story for the silver screen, as the combination of ‘sun, sea and sex’ has been depicted repeatedly in the age of Love Island. Yet unlike a ‘typical coming-of-age’ film, How to Have Sex is determined to examine the drunken escapades that countless Brits embark on through a different lens. As the girl’s trip unfolds and begins to unwind, it soon becomes clear that the new director intends to examine the notion of consent, carefully crafting a narrative that is moving and important.

This is all made possible by the powerful, immersive realism of everything the camera captures. Though there is the daring experimentalism of a directorial debut on display, audiences will be stunned to learn that this is Manning-Walker’s first feature-length effort, particularly due to the mastery of different styles and the diverse tones she creates. The opening showcases stunning picturesque shots of sunset beaches, creating dream-like sequences that make the audience feel as if they are lounging on the sands themselves as they grow closer to incredibly endearing characters.

This tone then shifts as part of a gritty depiction of booze-fuelled brits abroad, with thumping house music and discordant karaoke accompanying expertly placed hand-held camera angles. Nowhere do these moments feel forced, artificial or difficult to relate to. When the girls grimace as they down shots of hard liquor, stumble through nightclubs and drunkenly express their love for each other – and their love of the delicacy that is cheesy chips – these scenes are instantly recognisable and genuinely believable. How to Have Sex is effortlessly immersive, at least to what I can only assume is its primary target audience – a younger generation of Brits, many of whom are eager to drown their sorrows and embark on sunlit adventures with the mates they have made over turbulent teenage years.

These striking depictions of drug and alcohol use never feels judgemental, an important aspect of the film given its representation of the issue of consent. The debutant director films with a refreshing frankness, accurately depicting hedonistic escapades, but never in a way that scolds the youthful characters. Manning-Walker’s message isn’t to stop drinking, having fun, or chasing the sun whilst you are young and reckless. This is welcome, given that so much of the discussion on sexual violence has long been dragged down by the hopelessly inept idea that victims (particularly young women) need to merely drink less booze or wear longer skirts. The film instead warns against ignorance and cowardice as tragedy unfolds.

The immersion that characterises How to Have Sex is a huge part of why it’s message is so powerfully delivered, particularly due to the remarkable performances provided by it’s youthful cast. Mia McKenna-Bruce’s debut as Tara is as earthshattering, and may prove to be as career-defining, as her directors’. Their ability to subtly convey conflicting emotions is a big part of what makes How to Have Sex so moving, whilst a well-crafted script paints a searing portrayal of the behaviour that pre-empts sexual violence and the trauma that exists in the aftermath of such events. It is a triumph of a drama with a vitally important message.

Frankie Ryan-Casey
@FrankieRyanC on Twitter
@FranksRants on Substack