Dating Amber

What's it about?

Set in a small town in 1995 Ireland, Dating Amber is a romantic comedy-drama that follows high school seniors Eddie and Amber. Eddie is a closeted gay man, still in denial and pressured by his army dad’s expectations and his parents’ rocky marriage. Amber is a closeted lesbian secretly saving to move to the big city and work for a zine. Both get teased at school for not behaving as typical teenagers. To put a stop to the gossip, Amber and Eddie decide to date each other. This works for a time, until Amber meets Sarah and wants to take things to the next level.

What to expect

Dating Amber is a heart-warming comedy-drama about self- acceptance. The film regularly deals with teenage sex, particularly the characters’ experimentation as they navigate their sexuality amidst a homophobic community. There is regular use of highly offensive language, as well as some homophobic slurs. The impact of this intolerance is somewhat limited by regular doses of humour, warm moments between Eddie, Amber and their families, and their ultimate acceptance of who they are. Although the sexual content is inexplicit and light-hearted, this and the cruelty of homophobia require a mature perspective to understand. While of low-level, the violence is likely to have some impact on children due to the young age of the characters. Additionally there is one scene where illicit drug use is presented as fun, which may be misinterpreted as promotional by younger viewers. For these reasons, Dating Amber is restricted to people aged 16 and over.