When Woody Allen was once asked if he thought sex was dirty, he quipped, “Only if you’re doing it right.” Turns out, according to this little gem, that’s a lot harder than one might think.

Especially for three teenage British girls hitting a notoriously rowdy Greek island to celebrate their graduation. Now, I despise sloppy amateur drinkers and overconfident young know-nothings, and I was close to turning this one off after the first half hour of mindless revelry and excess. But bothersome though it was, it eventually sank in to my jaded brain that this had to be part of a whole, and indeed it sets the stage for a memorable story on the ambivalences of growing up.

Eventually the film focuses on Tara (a perfectly cast Mia McKenna-Bruce), her peer group’s sole remaining virgin. She’s determined to have her first man, but it’s not entirely clear if this determination is wholly hers or a reaction to some pretty intensive social pressure going on.

This beautifully observant debut film from Britain’s Molly Manning Walker explores shame and guilt without ever becoming maudlin. It avoids sentimentality and cliché, and it even ends on an uplifting note without the obvious catharsis. 

Note: You might want to look for a subtitled version, as the teen vernacular is pretty dense at times. That said, the film’s best bits are mostly wordless closeups of Tara’s face. Well done! (91 min)