‘How to have sex’
The film arrives with a clever, at times contradictory, gaze that unsettles easy judgments about puberty and the rituals that surround it. It suggests an alternative take on the rites of passage many teenagers encounter, placing three British youths in a party town where the agenda for the night becomes simple: drink, dance, and seek connection. The tension lies in how these goals collide with growing self-awareness and the messy edge of adolescence, making the storyline feel less like a tidy coming-of-age tale and more like a raw snapshot of a complicated moment in time.
Viewed through a lens that resists glamorizing reckless behavior, the movie asks audiences to sit with the discomfort of characters who are both real and fallible. Early scenes emphasize a lack of empathy that paradoxically deepens believability, as the film refuses to sugarcoat the impulsiveness that often accompanies youth. It draws a contrast with familiar American comedies that celebrate mindless partying by presenting a more grounded, sometimes abrasive realism about the consequences—emotional and practical—that accompany such choices.
Unlike other party-centered narratives that seem to center on a male fantasy or a generic bachelor-party energy, this film marks its own distinct path. It probes the question of maturity without sentimentalizing the process or pretending that a single night can resolve the insecurities that accompany growing up. The director’s approach invites viewers to witness immaturity not as a punchline but as a facet of society’s broader map of expectations surrounding sexual exploration and peer pressure at a key developmental stage.
For the first stretch, the pacing creates a deliberate delay that encourages immersion before revelations unfold. The narrative finally shifts from surface-level antics to a deeper meditation on consent, communication, and the real-world fallout of choices made in the moment. The experience is not polished; its rough edges feel intentional, offering a challenging yet compelling portrait of teenage life under pressure. While not flawless, the film maintains a provocative voice and a willingness to take risks that provoke reflection as much as debate.