Review: DATING AMBER Is a Sweet Coming of Age Coming Out Story With Rising Stars to Keep an Eye On

I got the opportunity to watch the film Dating Amber ahead of its release today, and it was such a delightful movie. The story is about a high school boy named Eddie from a small Irish town who is not ready to reveal to his family or friends, or maybe even himself, that he is gay. When he realizes that his schoolmate Amber is also suffering from a closeted life, he proposes that they pose as each other’s boyfriend and girlfriend to give them at least until graduation to have to deal with their coming out.

Fionn O’Shea (Normal People, Cherry) plays Eddie, and Lola Petticrew (A Bump Along the Way, Shadows) plays Amber. The two characters feel as real and vulnerable as we all felt in high school, with the awkwardness of finding who we are and trying to figure out how to make that fit in. While the endless barrage of taunts from the annoying group of “popular” boys feels like the most over-the-top part of the film, I chalk it up to the small town feel of the film, which I’m not as familiar with.

The movie does well to tell the two characters’ stories, which are parallel, but not the same. Amber’s single mother is still reeling from her husband’s suicide, while Eddie is trying with all his might to fit the mold he believes his father has set out for him, terrified that he might fail at everything he hopes he will become. The movie is sweet and lovely, and it is so nice to see these two people find a friend that truly understand them while Eddie struggles to find himself. Dating Amber is a great story for anyone who has ever been a teenager, unsure of the world and what comes next.

Check out Dating Amber today On Digital and On Demand.