Dating Amber is set in 1995 in Ireland where two teenagers distraught over persistent homophobic abuse, outsiders Eddie and Amber decide to hide their sexuality from the rural Irish town in which they live by pretending to be a heterosexual couple. Amber wants to escape a life overshadowed by the suicide of her father to lead a lesbian punk life-style in a more liberal environment.
She is saving money to move to London by surreptitiously renting out caravans to teenage couples in need of some privacy on a park her mother runs. Eddie is not so confident of his sexuality and intends to follow his insensitive and often absent father into the Irish Army.
On trips to Dublin the “couple” begin to absorb its gay culture. Eddie is seen passionately kissing another man in a gay bar by someone from his home town. This causes Eddie to panic and attack the witnesses to his kiss. Meanwhile, Amber begins an affair with Sarah, a girl she meets in Dublin.
Amber comes out to her Mum who meets Sarah and understands that her daughter wants and needs to be with her girlfriend. Amber is then outed to the town through the local priest. Initially Eddie can’t accept that his pretence with Amber is over but then tries to establish a heterosexual relationship with schoolmate Tracey prior to joining the army.
When he is due to enlist Amber appears at the barracks and offers him her savings to help him escape living a lie. He accepts his sexuality and the money to buy a train ticket to another life. Eddie opens the box in which Amber’s savings is in, revealing half of the photo booth picture inside, the movie ends with both of them smiling, finally accepting who they really are.
Dating Amber (originally titled Beards) is an Irish comedy-drama film directed by David Freyne. The film features two closeted teenagers in 1990s Ireland who decide to start a fake relationship. The film was produced with assistance from Fis Éireann – Screen Ireland, RTÉ, Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, BeTV Belgium and BNP Paribas Fortis Film Fund (France). The film was distributed in Ireland through Wildcard. It was released on Amazon Prime Video in Ireland and the UK on 4 June 2020, followed by a theatrical release in Ireland. The film was released in the USA on November 11, 2020.
Dating Amber (2020)
Directed by: David Freyne
Starring: Fionn O’Shea, Lola Petticrew, Sharon Horgan, Barry Ward, Tara Flynn, Ally Ni Chiarain, Arian Nik, Shauna Higgins, Dillon Potter Stapleton, Hannah O’Reilly, Peter Campion
Screenplay by: David Freyne
Production Design by: Emma Lowney
Cinematography by: Ruairí O’Brien
Film Editing by: Joe Sawyer
Costume Design by: Joan O’Clery
Art Direction by: Neill Treacy
Music by: Hugh Drumm, Stephen Rennicks
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Samuel Goldwyn Films
Release Date: Novmber 10, 2020
Visits: 94
