Coverage from NewFest the 32nd Annual LGBTQ Film Festival
I imagine that I’ll be thinking about Normal People for a while every time I watch an Irish romance (or maybe just any Irish production!). If I can’t see Connell and Marianne on screen again, the next-best thing is probably Dating Amber, a wonderfully entertaining comedy showing at NewFest. One of its stars is Fionn O’Shea, who portrayed the despicable and manipulative Jamie in Normal People. He's one of the romantic leads this time...
Eddie (O’Shea) is introduced as a hopelessly awkward high school student who has been groomed for the military by his soldier dad (Barry Ward), who has a lukewarm relationship with his wife (the always wonderful Sharon Horgan). He invents crushes to hide the fact that he is gay, something he hasn’t yet admitted to himself. Amber (Lola Petticrew) is teased relentlessly for being a lesbian, a fact that she acknowledges but still prefers not to confirm for those who seek only to bully her. She recognizes an opportunity in starting a fake relationship with Eddie, giving them both relief from unending taunts.
Their pretend-romance gets off to a rocky start when Eddie tries to kiss Amber, something she hastily rejects since she knows that he isn’t actually interested in her and feels no reason to do anything for show when no one else within eyesight of them. Amber faces her own problems, including the recent suicide of her father, and copes mainly by renting out a trailer managed by her mother (Simone Kirby) to horny teenagers and saving the money for her eventual post-graduation move to London.
Neither of these two protagonists fits in well to their 1990s school setting, but Eddie has an easier time passing in part because Amber makes little effort to try to fit in. It’s remarkable, therefore, to see the way that Eddie comes alive and expresses wonder when the two travel to Dublin and happen upon a bar with a rainbow flag outside it. After much comedy in the film up to that point, it’s rewarding to see the minds of these two people raised in a small town they felt like they could never leave opened to a world of accepting possibilities.
Dating Amber incorporates some drama but is filled with humor, which makes for a thoroughly enjoyable viewing experience. O’Shea is fantastic at conveying a nervous physicality and a self-assured attitude rarely reflected in actual knowledge or planning. Petticrew is fierce and passionate as Amber opts not to censor herself and instead make her opinion known at nearly every juncture. Together, they’re a great odd couple whose gradually-built friendship provides the heart of this film. The energy and pacing of this comedy make it one of the most optimistic and fully engaging offerings of this year’s festival.
Dating Amber is available to screen at NewFest 2020 now through Tuesday, October 27th