Review: Dating Amber

Teenage dreaming: Eddie (Fionn O'Shea) and Amber (Lola Petticrew) look to the future.

Directed by David Freyne

Starring Fionn O'Shea, Lola Petticrew, Sharon Horgan

Anticipation: Irish film and TV is experiencing a shake-up, with unexpected hits such as Derry Girls, Sing Street, The Young Offenders and Extra Ordinary. Will David Freyne’s latest offering rise to join the ranks?

Enjoyment: A cosy, heartfelt coming-of-age story as bittersweet as a bag of Tangfastics.

In Retrospect: Fionn O’Shea and Lola Petticrew star in a delightful Polaroid snapshot of 1990s Ireland, sipping on a cocktail of prejudices, sexual frustration and self-discovery.

On the surface, Dating Amber might appear quite simplistic; two closeted teens engage in a pretend relationship to get through high school unscathed. While the concept of teens grappling with their sexuality is nothing new, a male and female protagonist who don’t fall in love (with each other) feels decidedly refreshing. Within moments, I was spellbound by the fresh-faced, enigmatic Amber (Lola Petticrew), and the painfully shy Eddie (Fionn O’Shea).

Paired with an opening sequence to Pulp’s Mile End, perhaps a call to cult-classic Trainspotting, David Freyne lays out the key ingredients to a perfect nineties homage.

Although I am always open to new stories tackling homophobia, Dating Amber did feel lumbered with a considerable appendage of clichés. Take Eddie’s dad, a senior army officer and macho-man, intent on forcing the secretly gay Eddie to follow in his footsteps. Or Amber, a lesbian teen sharing a fractured, fraught and frigid relationship with her mother, following her father’s suicide. Not to mention the ever-present shadow of Eddie’s parents’ struggling marriage. While I completely endorse the showcase of imperfect family structures, the pairing of broken homes and gay characters is becoming a frequent intersection. Just once, I would love to see a nurturing, supportive backdrop for LGBTQ+ characters, to set a positive example. That’s not to say Dating Amber was at fault, but the repetition of tropes certainly contributes to hollow characters and lazy storytelling.

Aside from a copycat backdrop, the story itself was genuinely lovely. Eddie’s prolonged and persistent torment with his sexuality gave the film added depth, and kept us rooting for him right until the final moments. Amber herself remained perpetually likeable, her flaws and mistakes only adding to her brilliance. Even the smaller side-characters tied the story together beautifully; I particularly liked Eddie’s teacher, played by the original ‘hot priest’ Peter Campion, of Derry Girls fame. Campion’s relentless failing mission to provide support to Eddie was both humorous and true; I was pleasantly surprised that even Eddie’s ‘mentors’ were decidedly flawed and multi-faceted. Notably, Eddie’s journey to self-acceptance was equally helped and hindered by the input of others, hinting that he would have to come to a conclusion by himself. A journey of self-acceptance is never a Saccharin-sweet, Hollywood performance, and David Freyne consistently reminds us of this.

Freyne wraps a pick-and-mix of homophobia, teenage angst and family problems, inside the glistening cellophane of nineties pastiche. While the hair, fashion, music and iconography teeters on the edge of hyperrealism, the cutesy colours, patterns and stylistic choices do give the film a certain warmth. Although the cinematography was experimental and exciting, it did feel more than a little derivative. Clips of AIDs advertisements, and newspaper clippings of Lesbian and Gay Societies, closely mirrored the storytelling methods of Pride (2014). An opening shot of Eddie cycling through the streets strongly reminded me of the introduction to The History Boys (2006), another coming-of-age classic. Perhaps most notably, aesthetic choices ranging from locations, props and colours, seemed to mimic Richard Ayoade’s teen romance, Submarine (2010). Whether Freyne drew direct inspiration from these sources remains unknown. Regardless, in these directorial choices, Dating Amber felt closer to a parody than a stand-out original. To create something truly ground-breaking, Freyne needed an injection of originality and flair. Sadly, I felt this was lacking.

My main frustration was the complete absence of diversity amongst the cast. Literally every single character was white. Now, I’m not suggesting token diversity, but I would have loved to see a wider range of cultural perspectives. It seems somewhat crass to point out discrimination towards a minority group in your storytelling, if your casting reflects ethnically exclusive choices.

Despite this, I genuinely enjoyed Dating Amber, and I would happily watch it again. Whilst it may fit an existing mould, the familiar feel makes Dating Amber an ideal comfort film, particularly for confused teens searching for likeminded characters. I do question the choice to set the story in former times; although the nineties was an ideal backdrop, the bygone setting does hint that gay oppression is a thing of the past. Rather than painting LGBTQ+ stories with the brush of nostalgia, I would like to see a wider variety of present-day stories exploring similar issues.

Dating Amber is available to stream now on Amazon Prime.