'Dating Amber' will tug those gay heartstrings and make you laugh along the way. It's a fabulous watch, offering a new voice in the ever-growing queer cinematic landscape.
- Chris dos Santos
Read Chris' full article...
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-dating-amber-gay-coming-of-age-film-shines-with-a-unique-spin-on-a-familiar-trope
This is quite a refreshingly clever coming-of age story with Fionn O'Shea ("Eddie") and Lola Petticrew ("Amber") as two gay teenagers who hit upon the perfect ploy to make sure they are left in peace by their classmates: they decide to date each other! Their cunning plan deceives all their mates and even engenders quite a bit of jealousy from some of his pals whilst giving them a perfect cover. He is a bit smitten with his quite hunky teacher; she wants to escape it all to go to London and be a punk. It's a touching little yarn, with two enjoyable performances from both as they come to terms with living and coming out (or not!) in a small Irish community very much un-used to things gay back in the mid 1990s. I haven't a religious bone in my body, so cannot testify to the accuracy of the representations David Freyne makes of the church, but the Catholic nun's sex education video is remarkably plausible (and bigoted). The writing and directing is uncomplicated. There is no bullying or oppressiveness which maybe doesn't lend too much to it's authenticity, but it does to it's charm. It isn't a gritty warts-and-all story of sexual evolution; it's a frequently comical story of two kids coming to terms with who they are and what they want from life. Like any of us knew at that age....
This was a good movie, it had humor and was very well acted. Basically, you had two gay students who pose as a straight couple so bullies won't call them names. While Amber is comfortable with who she is, Eddie struggles with being gay and doesn't really like himself that much. As the movie ends Amber seems at peace and starting to be happy with her life, but Eddie has a long way to go toward happiness.
