Chips are technically vegetables, aren't they?

Continuing my trip up Empire's top 20 films of 2023

#4 :  How To Have Sex

British independent cinema is in the rudest of health right now, and Molly Manning Walker’s feature debut is a standout example. An energetic drama about the trials and tribulations of teenage girldom and female friendship, it follows Tara (an outstanding Mia McKenna-Bruce) as she goes on a pivotal holiday to Malia with friends Skye (Lara Peake) and Em (Enva Lewis). They drink, they dance, they drink again – but when things heat up with their hotel neighbours, Tara is pushed to (and beyond) her limits. It’s a riveting, emotional, stomach-churning story of one girl’s discomfiting experience with sex and consent, but has had such an impact because of how deeply it resonates with so many. The highs and lows of the trip are executed in equal measure, euphoric club sequences and drunken laughter giving way to quiet, sombre reckonings. It’s a sign of incredible things to come from Manning Walker and McKenna-Bruce alike.

I saw some very good write-ups for this (which is the highest film on Empire's list which isn't on The Guardian's list) - but all of them suggested that, as a father of teenage girls, I would not enjoy it. I'm sure that means it's important that I watch it - but that doesn't mean I actually would have under any circumstances. However, here we are - thanks Empire!

God, this took me ages to watch. Not because it's not good, but because it's too good - as Empire puts it, stomach-churningly so. I don't really need to tell you any more than the above - but be prepared for a very uneasy ride.

Mia McKenna-Bruce is indeed outstanding as Tara - an impressive mixture of confidence and uncertainty, bravado and innocence - you really believe she's affected by "events" (no spoilers, but you can probably guess) as the film progresses. She also really gives you the impression of an underlying unhappiness - her life isn't going where she wants it and the holiday is supposed to distract her from all that. You can tell it's a good performance because I felt so desperately sad for her at several points in the film that I just had to turn it off to recover (I think twenty minutes was the longest stretch I managed in one go!). 

Lara Peake and Enya Lewis are good as Tara's friends, but I'd have to say I felt pleased that I didn't recognise their apparent lack of empathy for Tara from the relationships my daughters have with their friends. I also have a weird complaint - at times, Lara and Mia look too similar which got me very confused! Shaun Thomas and Samuel Bottomley are both unflashily good as the lads from the neighbouring flat (and this is the fourth time we've met Samuel, which is pretty impressive for a 23 year old). I thought their parts were well written - they may be idiots, but they're not the idiots you expect, all of which just adds to the tension because bad things don't happen when you expect them to. And then, when you don't expect it - bam!

Molly Manning Walker has done a great job here with both the writing and the directing - the changing moods are impressively conveyed through the camerawork and the use of light and colour. She's also not afraid to use silence - it's very effective in ramping up the tension or conveying Tara's mood.

I found this a very uncomfortable film to watch, but that's very much to its credit - it's an astonishingly accomplished directorial debut featuring an excellent central performance. It feels mean to say that I struggle to fully recommend it because I really didn't enjoy it (and I'll not be watching it again) but it's an important watch because of the issues it raises - if you feel up to a challenging time then it's available to stream on MUBI or to rent in all the usual places

#5 - An absolutely gorgeous film