Forget GCSEs or landing your first part-time job. Nothing screamed growing up in Britain like embarking on your first European party holiday, armed with an alarming lack of SPF or common sense but a suitcase packed full of skimpy outfits and condoms.
Every summer, thousands of young Britons would jet off to Greece, Cyprus or Spain, having signed up for a week of raucous hedonism provided by travel companies like Club 18-30. They’re getting steadily less popular – Gen Z don’t really drink, after all – but the themes explored in Molly Manning-Walker’s new film, How to Have Sex, remain universal. Set in the Greek resort of Malia, Crete, Manning-Walker’s debut feature won the Un Certain Regard prize at this year’s Cannes.
It follows three 16-year-olds – beautiful but inexperienced Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), loud-mouth Skye (Lara Peake) and clever Em (Enva Lewis) – having a blast on their ‘Best holiday ever!’ But it soon gives way to a nightmarish conveyor belt of leering men, scarring sexual experiences and the lingering feeling that, maybe, the three of them are not such good friends after all.
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