How to Have Sex is about girlhood, friendship and sex. Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce) and her two friends head away on a hedonistic holiday to celebrate the end of their exams. As the film follows their nights of binge-drinking, clubbing and hookups, it explores issues of boundaries and consent.

The film is the directorial debut feature from Molly Manning Walker. Her work as a cinematographer (most recently on Scrapper) translates beautifully to her new film, in which much of the emotion and story is communicated not through the script, but through reaction shots and close-ups of facial expressions. McKenna-Bruce’s large, expressive eyes powerfully convey her anxiety and excitement as she navigates the difficult stage between her teen and adult years.

The film’s sound is used to great effect. Blending electric scenes of music and dance with moments of audible breathing, Manning Walker cleverly conveys Tara’s discomfort in these spaces, encouraging empathy for Tara in the viewer.

“Walker’s handling of the film’s tonal range is remarkably assured: the picture is skittish, spirited and very funny, and at the same time troubling and bruisingly sad.” – Wendy Ide, Guardian

“The allure of hedonistic Grecian glamour dissolves in an instant in this gut punch of a debut from British filmmaker Molly Manning Walker.” – Clarisse Loughrey, Independent

“This is an interestingly unsentimental film, without the coming-of-age cliches, and one from which the three leads emerge stronger and happier than before.” – Peter Bradshaw, Guardian