Presented in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, the screening of How to Have Sex was one of the highlights of the fortnight. The film's director, Molly Manning Walker, and its lead actress, Mia McKenna-Bruce, gave us an interview about this first feature film, soon to hit theaters.
How to Have Sex: the winner of the Grand Prix Un Certain Regard at Cannes arrives in cinemas - Our review
Presented at this year's Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, How to Have Sex impresses with its themes and cast. Molly Manning Walker's film won the Grand Prix Un Certain Regard at the Cannes 2023 Festival. The film is due in cinemas on November 15. [Read more]
Sortiraparis: The film is brimming with naturalism, and this aspect is very successful. Why are you interested in this genre?
Molly Manning Walker: For me, this kind of story is much more emotional. Reality allows us to connect with the characters and tell a story that's engaged with the real world.
The film is very reminiscent of Abdellatif Kechiche's Mektoub MyLove, but from a more feminist point of view. Is this one of your sources of inspiration?
M.M.W.: We did a lot of research in real life. In fact, we didn't refer to many films. We spent two weeks in Malia, taking videos of young people partying. But one of the main film references was American Honey.
Mia, your character gives the illusion of being a loudmouth and strong-willed, but as soon as her friends walk away, that changes completely. Do you think she's a fragile character?
Mia McKenna-Bruce: Yes, absolutely. I think most people put themselves first when they're around other people. They feel obliged to be someone they're not. That's the case with Tara, the character.
She's very influenced by all the people around her.
M.M.B. : Yes, exactly. It's peer pressure that forces her to be someone she's not.
Why can't she put into words what's happening to her? There's a tipping point in the second half of the film, when she becomes almost mute.
M.M.B.: I think it's because she doesn't know how to put into words what's happening to her. It's something we don't immediately understand, something she has to assimilate on her own. She needs to understand what's happened and that it's not her fault. So I think what we see in the film is Tara going through these stages, up to the point of realization.
M.M.W.: And being able to talk about it, because she's still in the process of understanding. It's as if she didn't know it could be bad, hence the film's title.
M.M.B.: Yes. And there's no manual on how to deal with it or how to feel about it. She discovers it for herself.
How to Have Sex begins like a vacation movie. But as the film progresses, it gradually becomes a thriller, even a horror film in a way. Is it a film about disillusionment?
M.M.W.: I don't know. I think it's a film about female friendship and the pressures of society on these young girls: the environment, friendship and toxic masculinity. Throughout the film, the production becomes messier and more chaotic. The music becomes more chaotic, there's shouting, there's garbage everywhere. We wanted the whole film to degrade little by little.
There's a scene that really symbolizes what you're saying. It's after the party, late at night. There's no one in town, and your character is walking down the street alone. It's full of garbage, and I really like the way you treat space in the film.
M.M.W.: The story often takes place in the same places. So the idea was to revisit these places, but in a darker, messier way. Both the environment and the story become increasingly tense.
The way you film the locations almost gives the impression that this is a fantasy film. There'sonly the party, you never see the rest of the world, the people, the streets... It's all about the party.
M.M.B.: It's true that it looks like a fairy tale. It's like Disneyland, it's sold to us as the land of dreams where we absolutely have to go, but on the spot, it's not like that at all.
Cannes Festival 2024: The latest news and information about the 77th edition
The Cannes Film Festival returns to the Croisette for its 77th edition from May 14 to 25, 2024. Click here for all the latest news and information! [Read more]
Cannes Festival 2024: The latest news and information about the 77th edition
