Dating Amber (2020)

 

This overlooked, light hearted film set in 1995 is about two closeted Irish teenagers, Eddie and Amber. Tired of the homophobic jibes they have to endure, they conjure up a plan to pretend to be a straight couple. While initially this eases the pressures on them and also means they are meeting familial expectations it leads to other more complex problems. David Freyne’s delightful film turns what could be a serious topic into something altogether more comedic with some pin sharp observations and two characters whom the viewer soon gets to like. In a way it’s a romcom without the `rom` as the duo’s pretence leads to each of them discovering more about themselves.

 

The film tries not to follow the cinematic romcom rules too closely enjoying the disparity between the fake relationship Eddie and Amber project and their real relationship. Amber is a lot more confident in her sexuality even if she is not publicly acknowledging it whereas Eddie cannot even say the word “gay” and has long over emphasised his supposed straightness to his friends and even to himself. Yet they find a friendship develops between them anyway, a normal friendship based on chat and banter.

By traditions independent films depicting LGBQTA characters seem duty bound to be sombre all the time and end in some tragedy or other yet part of the appeal of Dating Amber is its lively scenes of joy, of fun and David Freyne’s sparky script which is certainly expletive driven yet often thoughtful and considered. There are no antagonist characters as such rather the relentless pressure to conform which they both feel plus the universal peer pressure.

The narrative also slides alongside Irish political developments of that time, notably the Abortion Law whose contents appropriately underscore the large amount of teenage sex happening in the spare caravan at her mum’s caravan site that Amber loans out for £10 a time.

 

For a story like this to work its essential that the lead actors enjoy a strong on screen chemistry which Fionn O’Shea (House of Guinness, Normal People) and Lola Petticrew (Bloodlands, Three Families)  definitely do. The only question for the viewer is how come Eddie and Amber haven’t already gravitated into each other’s orbit as they are two peas in a pod. It’s a winning partnership; Fionn O’Shea conveying Eddies’ reticence to step outside the boundaries with a nervousness hidden behind a confidence that sounds odd when I type it but definitely works. He nails the comedy as well as the drama. As events develop, Eddie it still maintaining his heterosexual façade and is even ready to join the army and you really wonder if the character can be saved from making such a mistake. His anger is towards himself yet he often lashes out at others who may be gay in a manner far more aggressive than the hassle he gets himself. It feels like he is headed in a dark direction. I did think the narrative leaned far more towards Eddie as the film progressed though Amber’s story is a counterpoint once she starts to secretly date a girl she meets in Dublin.

Lola Petticrew's Amber is all noise and activity depicting Amber as someone who is constantly chafing against what she is expected to do and gets by on strength of personality. The two actors’ scenes together, of which there are a lot, become a pleasure to watch. Their bond is shown so strongly I really thought the story might end up with them really falling in love with each other, which they sort of do in a platonic way. Both have exquisite understated comedic timing as well.  There’s great support from the rest of the cast notably Sharon Horgan as Eddie’s intuitive mother who feels undervalued by her husband.

The film sits effortlessly in its time frame without overdoing cultural references instead keying in on certain things like fanzines (ah the nostalgia!), character taking the bus or cycling. It’s a world without the distraction of technology which really does help with storytelling. Best of all it has its characters speaking what does not seem like a script, letting their naturalness shine through. There are also a lively set of supporting characters who give the film extra appeal, notably Evan O'Connor's Jack and Emma Willis' Tracey.

David Freyne both writes and directs with the assurance of someone telling a story he really has a feeling for. He largely avoids cinematic tricks though the framing of the surrounding countryside (filmed in County Kildare) is bleakly beautiful for which cinematographer Ruairi O’Brien also deserves a lot of credit. When Freyne does offer something that’s a little surreal it works so well against the ordinariness of what we’ve seen (school, a caravan park, dimly lit sitting rooms) notably a scene in a gay club where a less than sober Eddie just hugs a drag queen who is singing. Its never explained or referred to again but it’s something you remember afterwards.  Likewise ,the final scene involving a tin full of money is sweet and understated yet packed with optimism as well.

Arguably both the comedy and the drama could have been dialled up a little to make Dating Amber less like a cute kiss and more of a hot date but it’s still a very enjoyable and different take on a familiar story.