How To Have Sex easily wins the award for most striking film title of the year – I mean, who hasn't googled that at some point?
Sadly, when most of us trawl through the internet for sex tips, we end up in the annals of some pornography site, which usually informs us that sex is an aggressive act done by a man to a woman leaving little room for vital communication about consent – or much else, for that matter.
How To Have Sex, which is about to debut at Cannes Film Festival, invites consent back from the margins. It's no surprise that Molly Manning Walker, the film's director, especially wants “teenagers […] particularly young guys,” to see it.
“I hope they recognise themselves in it, and we can start a conversation that this is not how we have sex,” she explains (via Screen Daily).
Intrigued? Here's everything you need to know about How To Have Sex, including the plot, cast, and release date…
What is How To Have Sex about?
The official synopsis (via Cannes Film Festival) reads, “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.”
As you might imagine, the word “should” is doing a lot of heavy lifting. The film's ambiguously-depicted sexual encounters are painfully reminiscent of the complex feelings that are so common in hook-up culture.
“I hope the film will start a bigger conversation around the topic of consent…”
In an interview with Deadline, Walker says the film “looks at how we learn to have sex through the pressure of friendship, toxic masculinity and societal expectations,” adding, “It’s a ride through the highs and lows of intimate female friendship.”
She further highlighted the lack of education surrounding consent, noting, “I hope the film will start a bigger conversation around the topic of consent; it would be amazing to reframe the conversation around how to have positive sexual experiences.”
Walker, along with producers Ivana MacKinnon and Emily Leo, researched the film by delivering workshops across the UK with groups of girls aged 16 to 18 and boys aged 19 to 21 (which corresponds with the ages of the film’s characters) about “sex, consent, alcohol and how they perceived the world (via Screen Daily).”
The crew were particularly shocked after only one person – across ALL the groups – recognised the film's sexual assault scene as an actual assault.
“We knew then that the film was important, and we had to make it relevant to today,” explains Walker. “The workshops were heartbreaking, but also a confidence boost – ‘Let’s make this, and make it up to date.’(via Screen Daily).”
Who stars in How To Have Sex?
The film follows three teenage girls: Tara, played by Mia McKenna-Bruce (The Witcher, Persuasion, and Kindling); her sister Skye, played by Lara Peake (Mood); and their friend Em, played by Enva Lewis.
At their hotel resort, they meet Badger, played by Shaun Thomas, and his best friend Paddy, played by Sam Bottomley (Ackley Bridge).
When will How To Have Sex be released?
There is no UK release date for How To Have Sex yet, but you better believe we'll keep you posted.
For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.
Honestly, while the show is beautifully made and wonderfully written, it left me with a sense of hopelessness.
