How to Have Sex: Consent is at the heart of this haunting film

What is it about?

To celebrate their high school graduation, Tara, Skye and Amy take their first vacation with their friends to a popular Mediterranean resort. The trio embark on a series of parties, drunken nights and sleepless nights with fellow Englishmen they meet upon arrival. For young Tara, this journey of all kinds of excess has the flavor of electrifying first times… to the point of vertigo. Faced with a storm of collective euphoria, is he truly free to accept or reject each experience that presents itself to him?

Its name is sure to attract attention: How to have sex! But behind those four words lies one of the biggest surprises of British independent cinema of the year. And the film left Cannes with an incredible buzz and, above all, a prize in the Un Certain Regard section, which it won after an unprecedented and memorable sprint!

How to Have Sex has also been spotted at many festivals, including the first edition of Nouvelles Vagues in Biarritz.

After the excellent Aftersun by Charlotte Wells (the film was just released on myCANAL), Blue Jean by Georgia Oakley, without forgetting Toi & moi? (Rye Lane) by Ryan Allen Miller, (Available on Disney+), How to Have Sex, written and directed by Molly Manning Walker, finally hits theaters and is part of this “new wave” of female directors across the channel. Each of whose first feature films was critically well received.

This feature film is directed by Molly Manning Walker It has real cinematic ideas, a solid script and an overtly sexual theme (young people succumbing to all temptations).

But behind that veneer is a very strong statement about how to “sleep” with someone when you’re young, and especially the concept of the gray area, or consent. And more broadly, the film is interested in what we call rape culture.

The film is very rich. It’s really the subtlety with which the piece takes on strong themes that makes it truly successful.

We caught up with Molly Manning Walker and her co-star Mia McKenna Bruce after the film premiered in Cannes. The ability to especially evoke the subtlety of the subject matter and the very unique energy that comes out of this film…

Molly Manning Walker (Director): The writing of this film was inspired by reality, coming from experiences and references. During filming, I tried to free all the actors, to make them feel as comfortable as possible with improvisation, to be able to use their own language, their own truth in words.

Mia McKenna Bruce (Actress): As an actress, it was an incredible experience. We were able to rehearse for 3 weeks. It means we’ve really had a chance to get to know each other as actors. We were all very comfortable, there was a real connection between us. We could joke and talk as if we had known each other for years. A true friendship was born on this shoot, which was an added advantage.

AlloCiné: The special energy we feel in this film comes especially from your improvisations…

Mia McKenna Bruce: Yes, absolutely. This is the general atmosphere that prevailed on the set. Everyone was moving in the same direction. We were all buzzing, hyperactive, excited about what we were doing. It was like a constant flow of energy. We often shot at night, there were party scenes. It was like a big family on the set.

Molly Manning Walker: The team was very young and full of energy. I think what was really interesting about the team was that not only were they very passionate about telling a story about consent, they were all party animals. They loved and understood this party culture and were still fascinated by history. They loved the party scenes where everyone was there. Everyone was there to create the atmosphere. And, of course, they also worked hard emotionally. It was the right team for this project. Everyone understood what the essence of the film was.

How did you shoot the party scene for a movie like this? Do you have a real party?

Molly Manning Walker: It’s all choreographed. All the participating extras around the actors.

Have you resorted to what is being done more and more often in cinema, namely using an intimacy coordinator to oversee the filming of intimate scenes, which are generally very choreographed? It is still quite recent in France.

Mia McKenna Bruce: Yes. In England, too, it is still something new. But honestly, it’s pretty crazy to think that’s the end of it all. When you think about it, it’s like asking the actors to fight without imagining the choreography of the scene. It’s crazy to expect that from actors.

We did a lot of rehearsals. This meant that we had the space to share what felt right for us at any given time. Everything was choreographed. So we knew exactly what we were doing at any given time. The coordinator knew what we didn’t want, or what we wanted, what we were uncomfortable or comfortable with, and that it fit what Molly needed for the film.

This movie is like a roller coaster with emotions and feelings. There are festive, joyful moments, then we sink into a form of fear, anxiety. We go from the form of lightness to heaviness.

I wanted to think about how victims are portrayed in cinema. Not only do we show the victim that we see ourselves abused and then their life is over or sad. It was very important to me that Tara’s trajectory reflected what was really happening. The idea is that Tara is a normal girl, not the traditional idea we might have of a victim.

Commentary on the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, collected and translated by Bridget Baronet

The film’s casting is impeccable, above all the incredible Mia McKenna-Bruce. A special mention for the excellent music playlist as well.

How to Have Sex by Molly Manning Walker is released in France this Wednesday, November 15, 2023.