--- title: "How to Have Sex: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/how-to-have-sex/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/how-to-have-sex" critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 18 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # How to Have Sex (2023): what the critics said Critics' score 83 from 18 reviews: 18 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are unusually united. Nearly every critic praises Mia McKenna-Bruce’s lead performance as Tara, describing it as raw and revelatory, and most credit writer-director Molly Manning Walker with handling the grey areas of consent without turning the film into either a lecture or a cautionary tale. Critics also single out the tonal shift, from the noise and colour of a post-GCSE holiday in Crete to something quieter and more troubling, and several admire the camerawork for catching the sticky, sensory feel of the nights out. Reservations are minor and cluster around the supporting characters: Little White Lies and The Hollywood Reporter both find some of them broadly drawn or thinly motivated, and IndieWire calls them obvious. The Playlist thinks the ending is rushed. The nearest thing to a dissent is Paste, which finds the story competent but predictable and carried mainly by the acting. The spread is narrow, running from firm approval to something close to acclaim. ## The AV Club — Murtada Elfadl Rating A. 1 February 2024. The critic praises the gritty, realistic take on teenage sex and consent as a spellbinding antithesis to typical teen comedies. He singles out Mia McKenna-Bruce’s anchoring performance and the director’s trust in gray areas and lived-in performances. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/how-to-have-sex-review-a-spellbinding-tale-1851207610) ## Empire — Sophie Butcher Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 30 October 2023. The film immerses viewers in the sensory overload of a teenage holiday while exploring the complexities of consent, female friendship, and vulnerability through strong performances, especially Mia McKenna-Bruce as Tara. It handles tough topics starkly and affectingly without exploitation, delivering an enthralling and important debut. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/how-to-have-sex/) ## Slant Magazine — Clayton Dillard Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 January 2024. The critic calls the film a remarkable, humanist knotty study of consent that leaves emotions unresolved and relationships messy. He singles out its masterstroke in handling ambiguity around a key sexual encounter and its instructive take on sexual politics. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/how-to-have-sex-review-molly-manning-walker/) ## Little White Lies — Hannah Strong Rating 3/4/3. 1 November 2023. The critic finds the film an assured debut that captures the rite-of-passage holiday with visual flair and sharp insight into teenage sexual politics and friendship tensions. Mia McKenna-Bruce stands out in a lead role that mixes bravado and vulnerability, though some characterisations feel broadly drawn. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/how-to-have-sex) ## Radio Times — James Mottram Rating 4/5. 3 November 2023. The critic praises the sensitively handled exploration of sexual consent in a debauched holiday setting, driven by a raw and star-making performance from Mia McKenna-Bruce. Manning Walker's debut impressively gets inside the protagonist's head amid the hedonistic atmosphere. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ct3vgp/how-to-have-sex/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2023. Festival review. The review highlights the terrific debut's shift from riotous holiday energy to discomfort, with witty, empathetic storytelling and a visually arresting style that tunes into hidden anxieties. A star-making turn from Mia McKenna-Bruce and strong ensemble work are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/how-to-have-sex-cannes-review/5182052.article) ## Time Out — Anna Smith Rating 4/5. 20 May 2023. Festival review. The review calls the film a smart, provocative take on consent and social pressures among teens, with an authentic ebb-and-flow tone that mixes fun and discomfort. Manning Walker shows sensitivity and compassion in directing, avoiding clichés while delivering strong performances from the young cast. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/how-to-have-sex-2023) ## Total Film — Kate Stables Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 November 2023. This punchy debut offers a vividly shot, sharp-eyed take on post-GCSE holidays with a fresh female perspective on sexual consent, balancing wild partying and pleasures against the pitfalls and disorientation of bad choices. It refuses to become a simple cautionary tale while showcasing strong performances and camerawork. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/how-to-have-sex-review/) ## Vulture — Bilge Ebiri Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 February 2024. The critic sees the film as a drifty experiential journey through euphoria and dread rather than a straightforward coming-of-age tale. He praises the atmospheric direction and McKenna-Bruce’s expressive performance that captures shifting bravado and regret. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-molly-manning-walkers-how-to-have-sex.html) ## Evening Standard — Tom Davidson Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 11 October 2023. Festival review. The debut transforms from an Inbetweeners-style holiday romp into a darker exploration of consent, coercion, and teenage friendship, using deft camerawork to capture the sticky, sensory reality of Malia nights. Mia McKenna-Bruce excels as the vulnerable Tara, delivering an unsparing but not overly bleak look at regretted experiences. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/how-to-have-sex-review-london-film-festival-b1103381.html) ## IndieWire — David Ehrlich 19 May 2023. Festival review. The critic finds the debut too smart and unflinching for its obvious characters in a sensitive teen drama. He highlights the film's refusal to simplify the gray areas of consent and desire during a raucous holiday. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/how-to-have-sex-review-1234864793/) ## Los Angeles Times — Jessica Kiang 2 February 2024. The perceptive debut gets viewers to forgive and then grieve the brash bravado of three 16-year-old girls on a party trip in Crete. It is a sorrowful observation of what the world does to girls and what it makes them do to themselves, keyed into sadness beneath the day-glo party energy. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-02-02/how-to-have-sex-review-mia-mckenna-bruce-molly-manning-walker) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 5 November 2023. The critic praises the assured debut of writer-director Molly Manning Walker and the revelatory performance of Mia McKenna-Bruce as the lead teen navigating peer pressure and consent on a hedonistic holiday in Crete. The film is celebrated for its tonal balance between energetic comedy and troubling emotional depth in exploring grey areas of consent. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/nov/05/how-to-have-sex-review-two-stars-are-born-in-a-searing-study-of-consent-molly-manning-walker-mia-mckenna-bruce) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Lovia Gyarkye 19 May 2023. Festival review. The critic calls it a quiet stunner about three friends on a Greek holiday that turns devastating. She praises the natural chemistry among the young cast and the sensitive handling of assault's aftermath while noting some secondary characters lack clear motivation. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/how-to-have-sex-review-1235487486/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis 1 February 2024. The film is grim going as a vaporous coming-of-age story about a 16-year-old British girl on a booze-soaked getaway in Crete with her friends. It tracks her hopes of losing her virginity turning into a blurry life lesson amid hard-partying and forced euphoria. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/01/movies/how-to-have-sex-review.html) ## Variety — Guy Lodge 20 May 2023. Festival review. Molly Manning Walker’s fresh, head-turning debut is a remarkably well-modulated first feature about a British teen on a girls’ trip to Crete that starts as hot, hormonal fun before pivoting to chilling detachment around consent. It lays out the minefield of sexual education for a post-#MeToo generation with precision to its ambiguities. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2023/film/festivals/how-to-have-sex-review-1235619800/) ## Collider — Emma Kiely Rating 9/10. 2 February 2024. The critic calls the film a shattering, mesmerizing debut that offers a nuanced and realistic depiction of trauma and confusion surrounding sexual assault. They single out Mia McKenna-Bruce's powerful, career-making lead performance. [Read the review](https://collider.com/how-to-have-sex-movie-review/) ## Polygon — Oli Welsh Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 9 February 2024. The critic hails it as a perfect coming-of-age movie and an achingly sensitive, honest drama about sex, consent, friendship, and the precipice of adulthood. They single out Mia McKenna-Bruce's revelatory performance as Tara, full of pugnacious energy and vulnerability. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/24067567/how-to-have-sex-review-recommendation/) ## Deadline — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 May 2023. Festival review. The critic praises the film as an exceptional debut that offers a subtle, powerful deconstruction of teenage dreams and desires, highlighting Mia McKenna-Bruce's extraordinary performance. They note its nuanced take on consent and peer pressure without turning into a harrowing rape drama. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2023/05/how-to-have-sex-review-molly-manning-walker-mia-mckenna-bruce-1235372876/) ## Film Stories — Lauren Miles Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 November 2023. The critic praises Molly Manning Walker's debut for its emotional depth and naturalistic performances, especially Mia McKenna-Bruce as Tara, while highlighting the film's exploration of consent, societal pressures on teenagers, and the bonds of female friendship amid a messy holiday setting. [Read the review](https://filmstories.co.uk/reviews/how-to-have-sex-review-a-powerful-feature-debut/) ## The Playlist — Rafa Sales Ross Rating B+. 20 May 2023. Festival review. The review commends the film's authentic snapshot of British teens abroad and its nuanced take on female adolescence and sexual inexperience, spotlighting strong young performances and a lively yet insightful tone, with minor notes on a rushed ending. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/how-to-have-sex-review-snapshot-of-brits-abroad-proves-a-refreshing-take-on-female-sexual-coming-of-age-cannes-20230520/) ## /Film — Lex Briscuso Rating 8/10. 23 May 2023. Festival review. The critic lauds the film's vivid capture of English youth culture and party dynamics, its honest handling of consent and emotional fallout, and standout performances from the young cast, particularly Mia McKenna-Bruce, deeming it an essential debut. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/1293563/how-to-have-sex-review/) ## NME — Alex Flood Rating 4/5. 3 November 2023. The critic highlights the film's shift from joyful teen holiday antics to a disturbing exploration of consent and trauma. Mia McKenna-Bruce's lead performance is singled out for capturing both chaotic excitement and suffocating anxiety, with the story ultimately delivering a message of hope. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/how-to-have-sex-review-mubi-3529229) ## The Skinny — Lucy Fitzgerald Rating ★★★★. 30 October 2023. The review praises the film's authentic depiction of modern social realism through detailed mise-en-scène and a standout nuanced performance by Mia McKenna-Bruce. It singles out the director's handling of the sobering fallout from the characters' coming-of-age experiences as particularly affecting and essential. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/how-to-have-sex-2023-review) ## Paste — Katarina Docalovich Rating 7.0. 2 February 2024. Festival review. The critic finds the film a competent but predictable tale about toxic party culture, elevated mainly by its acting. They single out Mia McKenna-Bruce's textured, human performance that communicates Tara's inner life through subtle expressions and body language. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/cannes-film-festival/how-to-have-sex-review) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/how-to-have-sex.md