Yahoo Movies How to Have Sex cast hopes the film helps 're-educate' men about consent
Actor Enva Lewis said the story 'should have been told centuries ago'
Watch: How to Have Sex cast discuss how the film's depiction of consent can impact society
How to Have Sex doesn't pull its punches when it comes to the intricacies of consent and the grey area around it, which the cast tells Yahoo UK they hope will help "re-educate" the film's male viewers.
The teen drama follows Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce) and her friends' holiday abroad, with the 16-year-old hoping to lose her virginity on the trip but whose experiences with Paddy (Samuel Bottomley) —who pressures her into sleeping with him and giving consent— have a toll on her.
It makes for a discomforting watch, particularly when Tara is subjected to pointed remarks from her friend Skye (Lara Peake) and struggles to tell her friend Em (Enva Lewis) the truth, while Paddy's friend Badger (Shaun Thomas) notices her discomfort but still excuses his behaviour.
Molly Manning Walker's frank look at consent is something the cast appreciated and, reflecting on how the film might help male viewers understand the notion better, Thomas says: "When you watch the film you will hopefully have a moment of reflection.
"I think you can take away a new sense of awareness, a new sense of what to change. And I think that the film could really re-educate a lot of people, and especially the younger generation."Shaun Thomas
Bottomley concurred with his co-star, adding: "A new sense of awareness is a brilliant way to put that, I definitely agree with that.
"I personally think if the characters had watched this things could have been prevented. I think in that way, it would be very powerful."
Lewis adds that she feels this story "should have been told centuries ago", adding that she's glad it's happening now and can help the younger generation understand consent.
"It's amazing, it's happening now, but I think this has been relevant from the start of women, hasn't it, really?"Enva Lewis
"I think it's amazing that people growing up now get to see this as your average cinema film and not some indie film they have to pick apart to find.
"I think to do it in this day and age just kind of shows the power of this next generation coming through."
Peake remarked that the film feels "even more urgent now" because of social media platforms like TikTok, because "you have it online in the same way you have it in life".
"As young people start to have an online presence even more, films like this can hopefully get into those spaces and counter the more questionable stuff and create those conversations that we've been wanting to have."
Lewis goes on: "I hope men don't come away from it seeing sex as just something to do.
"I hope [it] becomes more of a connection and more of a conversation, I think that's really shown in this film, the lack of actual speech that happens and that lack of actual conversation in that interaction.
"Also there's no note of the way that Tara is physically, and I think for a lot of women that's the case where... [there's] enthusiastic consent where you go with it.
"That happens so frequently, but your body is reacting completely differently. I think that needs to be taken into account.
"I hope men go away and [think] as much as you might have said yes or as much as it might feel like the right thing to do — Is it the right thing to do? And is it something to go through with?"Enva Lewis
Manning Walker says she created the film because of how important it was to shine a light on the issue of consent, and how it can be twisted like Paddy does to Tara.
"I felt like it was something that everyone had experienced, and hadn't been addressed really," the director tells Yahoo UK.
"There's such a big gap between most women having experienced an assault, and men not engaging with the fact that they might have assaulted someone."Molly Manning Walker
"So then there must be a gap in what's going on that we need to address. So, it felt like the right time to make to make that comment."
McKenna-Bruce, who plays Tara, commended the director for getting her message across without completely victimising her character: "It's something that a lot of people can relate to unfortunately.
"But, from the get go, when we were in rehearsal stages Molly made the point of not wanting to take anyone out of this conversation, whether that be men or women.
"It's about the pressures from all sides and particularly, for Tara, not being a victim so that people weren't watching it and taking themselves out."
"People can see themselves with any number of these characters, that was really important," she adds.
Manning Walker adds: "Consent has probably become too binary, like yes or no, and actually it needs to be about two people having a good time and about human connection between two people, understanding what two people are going through."
How to Have Sex premieres in cinemas in the UK and Ireland on Friday, 3 November.
Watch the trailer for How to Have Sex:
