Molly Manning Walker Discusses Her Relevant Film on Sex, Consent, and ‘Grey Areas by Lisa
It’s not every day that a film about teenage girls on a wild party vacation becomes the talk of the Cannes Film Festival. Even rarer is a debut filmmaker bagging the festival’s esteemed Un Certain Regard award. However, Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex – a subtly groundbreaking exploration of desire, consent, and their often distressing ambiguities – emerged as the standout film of the year, heralding the emergence of a promising directorial talent.
Born in London, Walker has an impressive resume as a director, writer, and cinematographer. Her first significant project was as a director of photography for A$AP Rocky’s “Sundress” music video. Earlier this year, she worked on the film Scrapper, featuring Harris Dickinson, which won an award at Sundance. Cannes 2023 wasn’t her first appearance at the festival. Her short film Good Thanks, You? with Micheal Ward was part of the festival’s 2020 lineup. The film is a poignant 13-minute narrative about a young woman’s struggle to return to normal life after an assault. “I was assaulted when I was 16, and Good Thanks, You? was somewhat a reflection of my experience,” shares Walker. “It made me question my understanding of sex and its origins. I wanted to deconstruct it. How has society taught us about sex, and why is it failing so many women?”
How To Have Sex is Walker’s attempt to portray assault and its victims on screen. The film narrates the story of three teenagers on a party vacation in Crete. One of them, Tara (played by Mia McKenna-Bruce), begins the holiday as a virgin, eager to change that status by the end. When she is coerced into having sex under the influence of alcohol with a guy from next door, her remorse is immediate. The film’s initial party vibe shifts, and Tara’s traumatized state persists throughout the film. As part of their support for the film, the BFI sent Walker and her producers across the UK to discuss consent and sex with teenagers. “People assumed that consent has evolved, and shows like I May Destroy You and Sex Education have advanced the conversation,” Walker notes. However, many of the teenagers’ views were disappointingly regressive. “We were quite taken aback.”
What resonates in How To… is its portrayal of the teenagers at the heart of its story. The filming took place in Malia, Crete’s party hub, at a package holiday resort. The scenes are awash with neon outfits and glowing drinks, but the film’s strength lies in its depiction of blurred boundaries: the girls exhibit a mix of loyal friendship and destructive envy; the drunken sex is technically consensual, but not entirely welcomed; the guy is neither wholly guilty nor innocent. “I really wanted to address the grey area,” Walker states.
“For me, the law never provided a solution, and I don’t believe it ever will. So, it’s about becoming more human. It’s about how we educate each other and our children, and how to respect each other and have satisfying sex, as equals.”