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How to Have Sex
2023 91 min United Kingdom, Greece, France, Belgium 18+
★7.1
Drama
Director: Molly Manning Walker
Trailers
EN
EN
EN
Teaser
Teaser
Description
Three British teenage girls go on a rites-of-passage holiday—drinking, clubbing and hooking up, in what should be the best summer of their lives.
US Gross:
$167,725
Worldwide:
$1.22M
Starring
Anna Antoniades
Actor
Mia McKenna-Bruce
Actor
Lara Peake
Actor
Awards
European Film Awards 2023
— Discovery of the Year
Cannes Film Festival 2023
— Un Certain Regard
BAFTA 2024
— Best British Film
BAFTA 2024
— Best Debut (Screenplay, Direction or Production)
European Film Awards 2023
— Best Actress
Cannes Film Festival 2023
— Un Certain Regard
Cannes Film Festival 2023
— Caméra d'Or
Key opinion
Molly Manning Walker's directorial debut is a polarizing exploration of adolescent consent and the pressures of youth culture. While many critics praise the film for its authentic performances and sensory realism, other viewers find the narrative thin, repetitive, or misleadingly titled.
| Acting | Mia McKenna-Bruce anchors the film with an authentic and magnetic performance that effectively conveys internal conflict. | |
| Cinematography | The sound design and cinematography masterfully create an uneasy, immersive realism that heightens the tension of the setting. | |
| Theme | The film succeeds as a poignant subversion of teen sex-comedy tropes by focusing on the complexities of consent and toxic peer pressure. | |
| Screenplay | Opinions on the screenplay are divided: some find the documentary-style minimalism a powerful way to represent unspoken trauma, while others argue the narrative is static, clichéd, and lacking in character growth. | |
| Pacing | The pacing is viewed as both an asset and a liability; some appreciate the lingering, observational style, while others find the film repetitive and lacking a clear narrative drive. | |
| Originality | The provocative title is widely criticized as misleading, as it promises an educational or explicit narrative that the film does not deliver. |