Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
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.
How to Have Sex is a raw, unflinching British coming-of-age drama anchored by an exceptional lead performance from Mia McKenna-Bruce, whose portrayal of Tara is quietly devastating and earns the film genuine critical respect. The plot follows a familiar holiday-gone-wrong trajectory but handles the subject of consent and sexual coercion with uncomfortable authenticity rather than melodrama. Cinematography captures the neon-soaked, chaotic atmosphere of Cretan resort nightlife effectively, though without remarkable visual distinction. The film's directorial voice (Molly Manning Walker's debut feature) gives it personality but doesn't radically reinvent the coming-of-age or sexual-assault drama genre. The ending is deliberately understated and emotionally honest, resisting easy resolution, which will frustrate some viewers but feels tonally appropriate. Acting is the film's clear standout, lifting it above its relatively modest formal ambitions.