Dating Amber

SYNOPSIS: Set in Ireland during the mid-90s, Eddie and Amber decide to stage a relationship to stop everyone from speculating about their sexuality. Eddie is keen to follow his Dad into the military, while Amber dreams of moving to the liberal hub of London.

The second film by David Freyne Dating Amber  is a twisted romcom set in Ireland in 1995, where two gay kids pretend to be in a heterosexual relationship in order to avoid their classmates making them the target of their homophobia. It's set only two years after homosexuality became legal, and the newspapers and television screens are filled with debate about the impending referendum on whether divorce should be made legal. Coming out on Amazon Prime, the film has the blessing of starring Fionn O'Shea, who has become something of a sensation following his starring turn in the BBC television phenomenon Normal People. O'Shea is the bright spark here, playing Eddie, who desperately wants to fit in. He pretends to like girls at school and is training with the cadets, as he wants to please his dad by joining the army.

DIRECTOR: David Freyne

David Freyne is a screenwriter and director from County Kildare, Ireland. Freyne got his start studying production design then working in post-production before stepping into the director’s chair. He made his feature debut with THE CURED starring Elliott Page, which debuted in Special Presentations at TIFF and went on to win Best Debut Feature at Fantastic Fest.

David pivoted from horror to romantic comedy with his beloved sophomore feature DATING AMBER. DATING AMBER is a semi-autobiographical story of David’s adolescence in the 1990s shot in his own hometown. Launched in the UK by Amazon, it’s received strong reviews and currently sits at 94% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film stars Fionn O'Shea, Lola Petticrew and Sharon Horgan.

Directed by:David Freyne

Year of production: 2020

Country: Ireland, United Kingdom

Duration: 1h 32m