The term 'holiday from hell' may not be your first thought when you think of the hedonistic trips that British teenagers embark on each summer to celebrate finishing their exams. But Molly Manning Walker’s blistering debut How To Have Sex is here to make you rethink those budget flights to Malia, Magaluf, and Zante.
Following a group of three 16-year-old girls as they head on a booze-filled trip to Crete, what first starts as the "best holiday ever" soon turns into a horror as we follow Tara (played by Mia McKenna-Bruce) on a mission to lose her virginity. As the story unfolds, it confronts questions about consent that its writer and director thinks will feel painfully familiar to many.
Indeed, she found the inspiration for the film while reminiscing with a group of friends at a wedding. "I had this really vivid memory of when we were on one of these holidays of a bar crawl escalating into a blowjob on stage," she recalls to GamesRadar+ when we speak during the BFI London Film Festival. "I thought I'd kind of heightened it in my head, but then we were all speaking about it and it had such a big impact on our perception of sex and so I wanted to investigate that more."
Authentic and familiar
The resulting movie plays out like a horror film as Tara and her friends, Skye (Lara Peake) and Em (Enva Lewis), meet a group of fellow holidaymakers at their hotel. During hormone-fuelled parties, the lines get increasingly blurred with Paddy (Samuel Bottomley), Badger (Shaun Thomas), and Paige (Laura Ambler) as the atmosphere heightens.
While Manning Walker says it wasn’t her intention to make a thriller, the comparisons feel apt. "It wasn't a conscious decision but I do see that in the zooms and the tension-building, there’s something horror about it," she says. "I guess there is something horror about those hangovers, or if something bad happens in those situations where no one's acknowledging it but you feel that there's something off."
Part of nailing that tense, claustrophobic feel came from filming on location in Malia during its off-season. Not only did it provide an immersive atmosphere, but Manning Walker says it was a setting that allowed her to touch on the timelessness of a story like this.
"It’s so funny when you go into these spaces, there's still cigarette machines in the back of the clubs and they're still playing songs from when we were there," she explains. "It just does feel like you stepped back in time and you kind of lose perspective of the outside world completely."
Getting that feel of authenticity also came from casting a selection of familiar faces and newcomers. One of the actors, Laura Ambler who plays Paige, was actually scouted on social media, which she admits was a bizarre experience. "I was painting and decorating on site one day and I just got a message through Instagram," Ambler tells GR+. "I looked at it and showed the lads on site and they went, 'Laura, come on, who’s going to want you in a film? It’s your ex-girlfriend setting you up.'"
She’s not alone either. This is also Em star Enva Lewis’ first on-screen role as well, although she admits that when she signed up she had no idea how big it would be. "I thought it was going on YouTube," she laughs. In reality, it ended up at Cannes, where it won the Un Certain Regard prize.
That film festival is something the whole cast agrees was a very special experience. "To share that moment, walking on that red carpet together, is something that will stay with me for the rest of my life," Shaun Thomas, who plays Badger, says. "We all put so much effort into this and we all really wanted to capture Molly's vision and voice correctly."
Conversation starter
One thing that was also clear from the reception it received was the level of relatability of the story. "I think it's a very universal experience and what happens in the film and what goes on in it can translate to any language, any culture," Lewis adds.
A big aspect of this comes through the character of Paddy, played here by Samuel Bottomley. Described as a "nightmare of a guy", the self-confessed 'player' and his interactions with Tara play a pivotal role in the story as the film unfolds. He’s unfortunately a kind of character who will likely be chillingly familiar to many too. "I think everyone knows that kind of type," the actor agrees, "You may not know Paddy but you know someone not too dissimilar to him."
Now the film is heading to cinemas, those involved hope that relatability only broadens, especially with a younger audience. "Even from before we started shooting the film, it made me have conversations with my friends, 10 years on from when we were at school, that we could have had at the time but you don't have the tools to do that at that age," McKenna-Bruce who plays Tara says. "Films like this, hopefully, will give people that to start these conversations."
Lara Peake, who plays Skye, adds: "It's about changing the narrative as well. Some people I guess don't realize that they might have been through something. This film has brought that to the surface for some people."
There's hope it could end up being taught in classrooms, as well as teens finding it at their local multiplex. But whatever happens, it's certain this confronting and poignant debut will linger with audiences long after the credits roll.
How to Have Sex opens in UK cinemas on November 3. For more upcoming movies, here's our guide to 2023 movie release dates.
