Dating Amber

If you are as tired as I am of depressing LGBT movies, where every time all you can see is eternal suffering, that's the movie you should definitely watch! I loved the plot, I loved the actors, I loved everything. It's not cheep, the picture is beautifully made, it's light and full of hope. A bit thank you to the authors, I've got enough on my plate in real life, so it's nice to distract myself with a movie like that.

It is about high school kids dealing with the difficulties of growing up, particularly sexuality and including being bullied at school. The novelty of this story is that a lesbian girl and a reluctant gay boy decide to hush their heckler friends by starting a relationship. They visit each others families, they show PDA at school, but deep down have an agreement that it is just for show and after graduation each will go their own way.

The story is for the most part handled very well. As has become the custom for scripts with high school characters there is a bit over-emphasis on sex and sex-related discussions. I doubt this is representative of the average Irish high school. Still much of it is done to inject humor into a story which otherwise has very serious implications.

My wife and I watched it at home on DVD from our public library, we were entertained. The Irish humor is quite different from American humor.

Well shot and well acted, particularly by Petticrew and O 'Shea in the leads, this sweet and often funny Irish film tells a familiar story in a refreshing way. Though I don't recall the year ever being mentioned in the film, setting the story in the mid 90s has the advantage of avoiding the often obnoxious trap of present day set teen stories that fixate on smart phones and social media. Without that, Dating Amber is able to depict a friendship based on human contact, conversation and shared experiences.

An underdeveloped B story regarding Eddie's parents being on the cusp of divorce that has no real impact on the A story is a minor issue, overshadowed by the sheer charm of it all and the authenticity of the two leads.

A wonderful movie and apt scenario how most conservative 90s people treated the LGBT community and the fear of coming out in public. It beautifully portrays what true friendship is! The plot is great and the acting is just superb. A must watch!

Those who think this movie is bad, must have some hateful feelings in their bones, because it shows really well how gay people had to live back in the 90's. Not 10 out of 10, because the end may have been a bit better, but the movie itself shoes the struggle of being gay in the 90's and inn a country like Ireland very well. Please make more movies like this.