Dating Amber
Ratings: 4.6/5
Duration: 1hr 32 mins
Language: Irish
Genre: Comedy Drama
Director: David Freyne
Writer: David Freyne
Producer: Rachael O'Kane, John Keville, Will Clarke, Rory Dungan, David Freyne, Philippe Logie, Andy Mayson, Ivan McMahon, Dearbhla Regan, Benoit Roland, Mike Runagall, Alex Verbaere
Music: Hugh Drumm, Stephen Rennicks
Cinematography: Ruairí O'Brien
Editing: Joe Sawyer
Art Direction: Neill Treacy
Release Date: 10 November 2020
Streaming On: Amazon Prime
Star Cast: Fionn O'Shea, Lola Petticrew, Sharon Horgan, Barry Ward, Simone Kirby, Evan O'Connor, Ian O'Reilly, Emma Willis, Anastasia Blake, Lauryn Canny, Shaun Dunne, Adam Carolan, Peter Campion, Ally Ni Chiarain, Tara Flynn, Arian Nik, Andrew Bennett, Karl Rice, Shauna Higgins, Dillon Potter Stapleton, Hannah O'Reilly
Plot:
Dating Amber (originally titled Beards) is an Irish comedy-drama film directed by David Freyne. The film features a closeted gay teen and his lesbian counterpart in 1990s Ireland, who decide to start a fake relationship to avoid suspicion.
Review:
This is one of those queer coming-of-age movies which teaches us about the importance of being true to yourself. But what sets this film apart is its central love story.
Written and directed by David Freyne, the Irish comedy follows Eddie (Fionn O’Shea), a closeted gay teen. After homophobic taunting from his classmates leads to a dramatic attempt at proving his heterosexuality, Eddie is approached by Amber (Lola Petticrew), a fellow closeted lesbian who is also tired of being tormented at school.
The film beautifully projects the friendship that blossoms between Amber and Eddie; as the two start fake dating. Their relationship is the backbone of the film, capturing how platonic love can be. They are shown to be very different from their classmates, who don’t even seem to like one another outside of their sexual pursuits.
The film focuses on their journey of self-acceptance. It shows that it is important to embrace our true selves, no matter how much Eddie wants to believe he can live with pretending to be straight for the rest of his life. Petticrew and O’Shea are the standouts that carry this film, making Amber and Eddie more than just the often shown ‘LGBT prototypes’.
Both main characters reacts differently in spite of their similar self-identity issues. On a trip to Dublin together, the two of them happen on a gay bar. Inside, Eddie is mesmerized by the sight of a drag queen lip-syncing to Brenda Lee who calls him "baby gay", while Amber meets a friendly university student named Sarah (Lauryn Canny), who invites her to an upcoming event. This encounter shifts something in both teens, giving Amber the push, she needs to explore her sexuality more openly. However, Eddie, panics badly at the thought of coming out.
Although the 92 minutes film cannot show every little change or transition in their lives, ‘Dating Amber’ portrays the necessary emotions: the awkward moments, the confusion in dealing with oneself, the anguish, the suffocation that can be a part of teenagers’ struggles and that too convincingly!
