MiaMcKennaBruce – Credits Rolling

Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), Skye (Lara Peake) and Em (Enva Lewis) are best friends embarking on a rite of passage holiday to Greece. It should be the best summer of their lives filled with drinking, clubbing and meeting cute guys, though it quickly turns into anything but.

From debut director Molly Manning Walker comes a thought provoking and raw portrayal of friendship, love and consent. It helps knowing that she also penned the script which had the perfect blend of humor and drama. The whole film was an experience, one that I simply couldn’t tear my gaze away from.

Throughout its entirety, I couldn’t help but feel like I was watching my life unfolding in front of me. This trio of girls were so incredibly realistic; their conversations and the antics they found themselves in during the various nights out was reminiscent of my own memories. When they talked to one another, it seemed more like improv than lines because their chemistry just clicked. It really was like I was watching real life friends. And with friendships at that age comes the highs and lows which were depicted brilliantly.

While everyone gives impressive performances, it is McKenna-Bruce who takes the spotlight. The transformation we see Tara go through is mesmerizing. She perfectly encapsulated the excitement at the beginning of the holiday to when things start to go awry and how she wonders if she really wants to be there at all. When an event happens that changes everything for her, the performance shifted and became heartbreaking.

The topic of consent is an important one. The ambiguous way in which it is handled was smart because it leaves it open for interpretation. Sadly, this is the way in which these situations usually happen. I appreciated that it wasn’t obvious, but that I was never able to forget it.

How To Have Sex completely blew me away. I loved its boldness and the way in which it didn’t shy away from real situations. I commend Manning Walker for her direction and her writing and I am thankful to the cast for telling this story. This is a film that will truly stay with me and I urge you all to watch it.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson) has always been underestimated by her father Walter Elliot (Richard E. Grant) and sister Elizabeth (Yolanda Kettle). Believing they know best, they persuaded her not to marry the love of her life, Captain Frederick Wentworth, eight years ago. When Wentworth comes back into Anne’s life, however, sparks the internal struggle of moving forward with her life or giving him a second chance.

Loosely based off of Jane Austen’s final novel Persuasion, this adaption has sparked controversy with die hard fans. Over the years, there have been various versions of Austen’s work, particularly when it comes to Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Sense and Sensibility. While some have closely followed the source material (the Keira Knightley version of the former from 2005 rings a bell), others were a more modernized retelling (the now classic Clueless).

I, for one, was very much looking forward to this new version. I knew going into it that Netflix was giving it a new life and that was a welcome change. I liked the updated script and the fact that Anne interacted with the audience. It kept me totally invested in what was happening and like I was a part of the story too.

Dakota Johnson shined in the role of our protagonist. Her honesty and vulnerability was refreshing to watch. Another exceptional performance came from Mia McKenna-Bruce who played Anne’s younger sister Mary. Her spoiled brat ways could have come across as cringy but instead was anything but. I only wish the same could be said for the male leads. Cosmo Jarvis was fine, though nothing extraordinarily memorable and I wish we’d had more time with Henry Golding’s Mr. Elliot. He was brought it way too late in the game I almost didn’t see the point.

An Austen fan through and through, I was perfectly content with this new version of Persuasion. While it has been ages since I read the book, I was happy with it’s make over. It had everything I could have wanted: longing stares, witty banter, beautiful landscapes and stunning costumes that made me seriously question whether or not I was born in the correct century. Don’t let the negativity deter you – give this one a go!

Rating: ♥♥♥.5