How to Have Sex (2023)

How to Have Sex is a completely honest portrayal of sexual assault victims and the peer pressure during youth. Featuring three British teenage girls, Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), Skye (Lara Peake) and Em (Enva Lewis), who go on a post-examination trip to Greece. During their stay, they come across another much older group of friends and things start to go a bit uneasy.

The director Molly Manning Walker crafts a story that can be relatable to every girl who has been forced to lose her virginity. The film also comments on how male behaviour is excused by the general populace because 'they have known them since childhood'. What I liked is that the film doesn't go toward an unrealistic route, but goes on a path to show the audience how traumatic it is for the survivor and how helpless they might feel even if they are surrounded by their friends.

Mia McKenna-Bruce is a complete revelation on screen. She doesn't have much on her resume yet, but she puts on a raw and honest performance. She makes the character completely likeable and masterfully showcases anxiety and insecurities without telling it straight away. You can just sense the unease residing within the character, which makes the character more sympathetic. I am excited to see what more she does in the future. All the other actors also put on good to great performances, but this is completely Mia McKenna-Bruce's show.

The cinematography of the film reminded me of Aftersun in a certain way. The zoomed-out shots perfectly showcased how alone Tara feels while vacationing. Even though she is surrounded by her friends, there is a sense of emptiness within her and the feeling of being unheard.

The film is a warning of rites of passage rituals that many teenagers are forced to take and calls for friends to do better and not pressure someone for the sake of it. The characters in the film were happy on their way to the party, but the societal pressure is what caused the misery to seep in.