Institute History
Description
Three British teenage girls go on a rite-of-passage holiday, drinking, clubbing, and hooking up in what should be the best summer of their lives. As they dance their way across the sun-drenched streets of Malia, they find themselves navigating the complexities of sex, consent, and self-discovery.
While the girls seem initially equally captivated by the nonstop bacchanal, the film’s increasing focus on bubbly, inexperienced Tara — who carefully reconsiders her vacation, her friendships, and herself after a questionably consensual late-night encounter on the beach — turns an incisive viewing experience into a searingly unforgettable one. In her feature debut, Molly Manning Walker embeds a devastatingly honest examination of sexuality and consent within a multifaceted portrait of female friendship, all set against the backdrop of a vivid rendering of alcohol-fueled party culture.
Manning Walker’s script deftly captures her young protagonists’ complicated bond, imparting vulnerabilities and jealousies in dialogue that never feels less than fully authentic. Actress Mia McKenna-Bruce allows us extraordinary access into Tara’s constantly shifting emotional state, unmistakably imparting her character’s unvoiced trauma and confusion.—HZ
This film contains depictions of sexual violence.
Screenings include closed and open captions, as well as audio description.