There’s a haunting element to the latter half of How to Have Sex, which intelligently captures the difficulty of processing sexual assault, of navigating consent, of even starting a conversation. She’s always felt behind compared to her friends, and the weight of this experience only adds to her sense of isolation.
Tara’s silences hit differently as the week progresses. Manning Walker does a fine job building a sense of dread and shifting tone without losing the story’s momentum. The constant carousing around her starts to look different, too - it feels sinister, menacing.
The energetic party princess shrinks, turning into a reserved and nervous observer. McKenna Bruce delivers a powerful portrayal of a young woman grappling with the reality of her assault, dialing back Tara’s energy so that we can feel the character withdraw the more she remembers. The challenges between these friends become a bigger problem when Tara loses her virginity the rite of passage she so eagerly anticipated haunts her like a nightmare. You begin to piece together the pricklier parts of the trio’s dynamic. Similar to Aftersun, Charlotte Wells’ heartbreaking Cannes debut last year, How to Have Sex lives in silences and beautifully observed moments: See how Skye undermines Tara and calls those hurtful jabs jokes? Notice the way Tara retreats into herself sometimes? And how Em tries to ride the middle of her two friends’ brief arguments? How to Have Sex moves gently, smoothly gliding from inconsequential moments to monumental ones. They start to couple up, and here’s where the buzz wears off and the pain starts to hit. Tara, who is determined to lose her virginity on the trip, has her eye on one of the boys. They pregame in the room before hitting the bars, the pool or wherever the evening takes them. Tara, Skye and Em quickly settle into a rhythm with Badger and his two friends, Paddy (Sam Bottomley) and Paige (Laura Ambler).
It’s all very Romeo and Juliet, Skye later jokes. She pretends not to hear him, but she can’t help but smile. He whistles at her from his balcony as she applies eyebrow liner on hers. Tara and Badger (Shaun Thomas) meet first. The girls end up making friends with an older set in the room next door. The scene they enter has the energy of a reality television show mixed with the youthfulness of Skins and the glow of Euphoria. Suddenly they are in the middle of a nonstop beach party, surrounded by dozens (if not hundreds) of other groups of young people. The girls mosey over from the beach to their resort, ending a private moment and inaugurating a public one. You want these friends to always love this shamelessly, to protect each other, to never change.īut you know things are bound to change - that’s the trick of life. The natural chemistry between the performers adds to the spell cast by Manning Walker and Canniccioni. The sun ascends, its rays bathing the trio in the golden light of daybreak. Cinematographer Nicolas Canniccioni’s camera zooms in on the scene of Tara, Skye and Em teasing each other and splashing in the sea. How to Have Sex opens on the beach, with a close and protective gaze. Venue: Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard)Ĭast: Mia McKenna Bruce, Lara Peake, Shaun Thomas, Sam Bottomley, Enva Lewis, Laura Amblerĭirector-screenwriter: Molly Manning Walker
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