DATING AMBER
To keep the queer recs coming for Pride Month, I thought I’d highlight a little gem of a film that largely went by unnoticed when it was released last year: DATING AMBER (trailer)! Directed by David Freyne, this coming-of-age dramedy is set in the mid-90s and follows two closeted teens, Eddie and Amber, struggling to get by under the stifling heteronormativity of their rural town in Ireland. In order to keep their family and schoolmates from speculating about their sexuality, they make a pact to stage a relationship together. While the premise of DATING AMBER is fairly straightforward, the central performances from Fionn O’Shea (Eddie) and Lola Petticrew (Amber) are what made this film a standout to me; they bring uproarious laughs and quiet moments of self-discovery to a beautiful friendship that evolves in the wake of their fake relationship. And most strikingly, the sequences where Eddie and Amber sneak away to Dublin to explore queer nightlife together feel like lightning in a bottle; it’s nostalgic, exhilarating and authentic to the experience of many queer youth yearning for life beyond the confines of their provincial origins. Check it out on HBO Max this weekend if you’re looking for a fun, moving, queer coming-of-age film!
—Neal Mulani, Development Assistant
