DATING AMBER is an impressive and genuinely funny Irish film starring Fionn O’Shea and Lola Petticrew. – as seen at NewFest 2020
“This place will kill you, ” says Amber (Lola Petticrew) to Eddie (Fionn O’Shea) as they look over the green empty countryside and their small village in 1995 Ireland. The two are seniors in the local high school that is amusingly full of hormonal teenagers who are literally air-humping in the schoolyard and bragging about their sexual exploits. But Amber, a confident young woman, already knows she is a lesbian, although closeted thanks to their small town’s love of gossip. What she cannot bear is the teasing and bullying from classmates who are beginning to suspect. So she comes up with a proposal to the nervous and slight Eddie – pretend to date each other to get their classmates off their backs.
Amber has already sized up Eddie and guesses correctly that he’s gay. But Eddie is happy in his closet and unwilling to even say the word “gay” much less admit his identity to himself. Still, he likes Amber’s idea and goes along with being her boyfriend.
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DATING AMBER, another gem from Irish Screen, is head and shoulders above what you might expect to be a straightforward teen comedy about two friends serving as each other’s beard. It’s touching, superbly written and acted. Wide-eyed O’Shea (like an Irish Timothee Chalamet) was recently nominated with a “European Shooting Star” for his note-perfect performance here. Not only does the film enjoy a wicked comic streak replete with nuns in every corner – watch for the cringiest sex ed video ever – but O’Shea’s struggle to come out buckles under pressure from a father (Barry Ward) who wants him to join the military and a sensitive if harried mother (the always wonderful Sharon Horgan).
But it’s Lola Petticrew who steals the show. Reminiscent of a young Julie Walters, Petticrew’s Amber is brash, confident and ambitious. She has plans to graduate high school, escape their dreary hometown to go to London and open an anarchist bookstore. Writer/director David Freyne (THE CURED) has painted a very full picture of laughter and tears, teenage angst, small-town vibes and a coming-of-age story without resorting to anything you’ve seen before. Must stream!
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Dating Amber is a funny, queer coming of age drama set in 1990s Ireland. Watch this movie if you are ready to “feel all the feels” and be reminded of how far we have come in the last 25 years.
Eddie and Amber are suffering through their final year of secondary school. Both are closeted, but their classmates notice that neither seems particularly interested in the opposite sex. Amber is met with daily jeers, while Eddie is pressured to make sexual advances towards girls. Amber and Eddie decide to be each other’s beards in order to make their final year more tolerable. While they create their fake romantic relationship, a real friendship grows between them. Their platonic relationship is at the heart of Dating Amber.
Amber knows she is a lesbian and has been steadily saving money so she can move to London after graduation and life a properly bohemian lifestyle. She is determined to leave the close-minded environment that she believes contributed to her father’s suicide.
Dating Amber (2020)
Eddie can’t admit that he is gay. He expects to follow in his father’s footsteps and join the military, even though he seems plainly unsuited to military life. Scenes of lanky Eddie attempting to perform a single chin-up provide a good laugh.
Being “out and proud” in their Irish hometown is simply not an option. Will Amber and Eddie find the means, and the courage, to live as their true selves?
Watching this movie felt like opening a time capsule, and I mean that in the best way. The production quality was excellent. Scenes were filmed in multiple locations, and the costumes were undeniably on point. Its 92 minute length was just right.
Dating Amber: Touching, Superbly Written And Acted
Dating Amber expertly captures the mid-90s. Amber dreams of working for a “zine” and argues about the supremacy of Bikini Kill, both perfect lesbian signifiers for the time.
The acting here is top notch. Fionn O’Shea is wonderfully vulnerable as Eddie, and Lola Petticrew brings a world-wise presence to Amber. They complement each other beautifully. Sharon Horgan is excellent, as always, in her role as Eddie’s mother.
This is a love story to friendship, to youthful discovery, and to finding the courage to live authentically. As someone who was a closeted teen at this time, I felt so much love for both characters, but particularly for Eddie. At times it was painful to watch him struggle and lash out, but it also rang true.
Dating Amber Review: A Big Hearted And Lovable Story (rating: ***1/2)
Although teen coming out stories are no longer groundbreaking, this one is masterfully portrayed. Check out Dating Amber if you are interested in a ‘90s flashback that is funny, tender, and moving.
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