Dating Amber

In a semi-autobiographical film set in 1995 Ireland, 2 high school seniors date each other (and exhibit public displays of affection) to ward off suspicions of being gay. Amber is confident, and plans to use her entrepreneurial savings to go to London and join the punk scene. Eddie is resisting identifying as gay, and has internalized his army-commander father's desire for him to follow his footsteps. While only pretending, the two actually develop a form of affection for each other. However, trips to nearby Dublin, where they find a gay scene and Amber a girlfriend, cause trouble for the duo.

Beyond the action at school, there are the dynamics of both families. By seeing this film at a digital film festival, I was able to re-watch parts to figure out certain scenes, or catch scenes that went over my head on the 1st viewing. But there are inconsistencies of note: Even if Eddie can do only one pull-up, he rides his bike everywhere, so he can't be as unfit as he is made out to be. While Amber tells Eddie of his gay mannerisms, he is nowhere near obvious in doing so. Meanwhile, at different times, Amber is either straight-curious or dick-averse. Offsetting this are other touching snippets, and amusing revelations at the family dinner table by Eddie's younger brother, about Eddie's rumored sexual activities from school gossip.

There are echoes of other teen movies, like Risky Business, Moonlight, and American Graffiti. This is a reasonable combination story of both coming out and coming of age.