“Why’s the world so tough? It’s like walking through meat in high heels.” This quote from Alan Clarke’s 1987 TV movie Road perfectly captures the raw and sensory experience of Molly Manning Walker’s stunning debut film, How to Have Sex. Walker’s film explores the dreams and desires of teenagers, delving into issues of class and culture in a way that is both subtle and powerful.
Set in the Greek town of Malia, the film follows three teenage friends – Tara, Skye, and Em – as they take their first unaccompanied holiday abroad while waiting for their exam results. Their focus is on having sex, with Tara feeling the most pressure as the only virgin of the group. The film takes us on a wild ride through their holiday, filled with drunken nights, karaoke, and techno music.
Tara strikes up a friendship with their neighbor, the funny and flirtatious Badger, but soon finds herself drawn to his sharp and cynical friend, Paddy. The film’s turning point comes when Badger is dragged onto the stage at a party night, and Tara runs into Paddy in a vulnerable emotional state.
While the film deals with serious issues of consent, it is not a harrowing rape drama. Instead, it is a non-judgmental behavioral study that looks at the situation from both sides. The film’s success is largely due to the extraordinary performance of Mia McKenna-Bruce, who plays Tara. The dominant theme of the film is the rub between self-image and reality, and the tensions that arise when reality becomes too real to ignore.
Despite the heavy subject matter, there is a suggestion of hope in the film, and the supporting cast make the holiday from hell surprisingly relatable and moving. The title, How to Have Sex, is a mischievous provocation that hides a more serious purpose: the lesson Tara learns is not that casual sex is bad, but that it’s only bad if it’s not for you. The problem is, as Tara learns the hard way, there’s really only one way to find out.
If you’re a fan of coming-of-age films like Lynne Ramsay’s Morvern Callar, you won’t want to miss How to Have Sex. It’s a powerful and nuanced exploration of teenage desires and the complexities of growing up.
