Line #10 Film/DatingAmber


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tileburnedin.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:US poster]]
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4	'''''Dating Amber''''' is a 2020 Irish coming-of-age film directed by David Freyne.
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6	As its original title ''Beards'' would suggest, it is about two ClosetGay teenagers in their final year of school in 1995 Kildare, Eddie Cotter (Fionn O'Shea) and Amber Keenan (Lola Petticrew), who decide to fake a relationship. The pair are in very different places: Eddie is still figuring himself out in deep denial and seems resigned to a life of repression in the military; Amber knows who she is and awaits the end of school so she can get to London, be herself, and open "an anarchist bookshop with franchise potential".
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8	----
9	!!Tropes:
10	* ArmouredClosetGay: Eddie acts homophobic at times when he panics due to his {{gayngst}}. When seen kissing another boy at the gay club by someone he knows, his reaction is to push the guy away angrily. Later, once Amber comes out, the stress causes him to lash out and call her a slur, hurting her deeply. Eddie does apologise to her and ends up accepting himself.
11	* AwkwardFatherSonBondingActivity: Ian takes Eddie training in the woods, calling it "man time" and giving him a number of survival tips.
12	* AwkwardKiss:
13	** Eddie and Tracey's at the beginning is ''beyond'' awkward to the point of gaining notoriety, with him chatting through it and refusing to put his hands anywhere near her, before promptly ducking whilst she looks befuddled by the whole thing.
14	** Eddie and Amber's kisses generally fall into this category, although this time they're both in on it.
15	* TheBeard:
16	** Eddie and Amber to each other, to stop kids from teasing them at school and to get their parents off their backs. Amber offers to date Eddie upon witnessing his attempt to ask Tracey out fail.
17	** [[spoiler:Tracey sort of becomes unwittingly this to Eddie]].
18	* CastingGag: Eddie and Amber's class is shown to graduate in 1995. Amber's actor, Lola Petticrew, was born that same year.
19	* ClassClown: Kev often interrupts Sweeney's class to taunt Eddie and sometimes Amber, such as when he called Eddie out in the ''middle of class'' to ask why [[TooMuchInformation he wouldn't touch Tracey during their kiss]].
20	* ClosetGay: Eddie and Amber are both in the closet initially to avoid harassment, agreeing to [[TheBeard date for cover]].
21	* ComingOutStory: [[spoiler:Amber is first to come out as a lesbian, with her mom reacting far better than she'd expected. Though stressed over this, her gay [[TheBeard fake boyfriend]]/friend Eddie is inspired to as well before the end of the film, with his family accepting him as well.]]
22	* CompensatingForSomething: Eddie can be a bit [[TooMuchInformation ''too'' forward]] in talking about his (non existent) experiences with girls.
23	* DifferingPrioritiesBreakup: Their differences become more stark after Eddie's FreakOut over being caught with a guy at the club and Amber starts to see Sarah. Amber is increasingly enticed by coming out whilst Eddie has been spooked into a life in the closet. Amber [[OneDialogueTwoConversations begins to suggest]] they "break up" when Eddie asks if they can date for real. By that point, it's clear it's "over".
24	* DisappearedDad: Amber's father [[spoiler:committed suicide]].
25	* FlyingUnderTheGaydar: Eddie is terrified of anyone perceiving him as gay, to the point of going right into ArmoredClosetGay toward the end. He is in serious denial even after Amber informs him that she's gay too and that he can trust her.
26	* FollowInMyFootsteps: Eddie is expected to join the army like his father Commandant Ian Cotter and "[[IWantToBeARealMan become a man]]". Ian admits late into the film that Eddie [[OpenMindedParent doesn't actually ''have'' to]] do this if he doesn't feel it's for him, at which point the pressure seems more internal than external.
27	* {{Gayngst}}: Eddie is deeply in denial and stressed over being gay, to the point he [[ArmouredClosetGay lashes out at other queer people sometimes]]. [[spoiler:By the end of the film, he's accepted himself, as have his family after he comes out.]]
28	* HatedHometown: Amber has a dream of moving to London and states "this place will kill you", telling Eddie to get out too. [[spoiler:Makes sense that she believes this when her father committed suicide, and she blames her hometown for it]].
29	* HeadphonesEqualIsolation: Eddie wears headphones all the time.
30	* HeroicBSOD: Eddie very loudly [[FreakOut freaks out]] when someone he recognises sees him kiss a guy at the club. Amber then asks him for a "break", during which she goes out with Sarah whilst he is left alone with his {{Gayngst}} and repression.
31	* ICantHearYou: As a result of wearing headphones all the time, Eddie often doesn't hear things such as gun shots or people trying to talk to him.
32	* {{Jerkass}}: Most of the kids at school, but Kev is the most devoted.
33	* JerkassRealization:
34	** Amber cries after she invokes her father's [[spoiler:suicide]] to talk back to her mother Jill.
35	** Eddie apologises to Amber "for being such a prick to you" at the end.
36	* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy: {{Downplayed}} and {{lampshaded}} when Eddie asks Amber to walk more feminine and she retorts, "what, like you?" and [[DopeSlap whacks him over the head]]. She is the outspoken, aggressive, hot-tempered and bold one in the pair. He's quiet, very shy and reserved.
37	* ManlyTears: Ian seems to care deeply for "being a man", but still breaks down crying unashamedly in front of his son over his marriage problems.
38	* TheMatchmaker: Kev without second thought sets Eddie up with Tracey, the first girl he randomly claims to like to avoid getting called slurs, much to Eddie's dismay.
39	* MentorInQueerness: Downplayed. An intoxicated Eddie is mesmerised by a DragQueen ballad performance in Dublin. He gets on stage and the drag queen asks if he's okay and pulls him in for a hug.
40	* ModestyBedsheet: Amber and Sarah lie under the covers after Amber's gone down on her. Then once Sarah starts going down on Amber, it's under the covers too.
41	* OpenMindedParent: Ian, Hannah, and Jill are all more accepting of their children than Eddie and Amber think, even if Eddie never comes to realise it.
42	* PassingTheTorch: Just as Eddie is about to leave for the military, [[spoiler:Amber hands him the money she's been saving to move to London and tells him to go instead]].
43	* PhotoBoothMontage: Eddie and Amber when they get to Dublin.
44	* PosthumousCharacter: Amber's father [[spoiler:committed suicide]] before the events of the film.
45	* PrecociousCrush: Amber clocks that Eddie is gay because of his apparent crush on Sweeney (played by Peter Campion from ''Series/DerryGirls''). Eddie, in a trance, tries to kiss him at one point, but it doesn't quite go into TeacherStudentRomance territory as Sweeney rejects him wholeheartedly.
46	* RefusalOfTheCall:
47	** Eddie rejects Amber's offer at first, unwilling to confront his sexuality in the way Amber has hers. He has a change of heart when he sees her getting taunted and comes to the rescue by loudly implying they're hooking up.
48	** Having found a girlfriend in Dublin, Amber [[spoiler:chooses not to go to London and gives Eddie the money to go instead, freeing him from his military obligations]].
49	* SexInASharedRoom: Amber grimaces at a couple doing it in the row behind them at the cinema whilst Eddie stares ahead blankly.
50	* SexMiseducationClass: The students watch a poorly acted Christian sex ed video presented by a homophobic ''nun''.
51	* ShrinkingViolet: There's a shot of Eddie curled in on himself on the school step shaking slightly as he psychs himself up to say hello to someone.
52	* SkippingSchool: Amber convinces Eddie to skip school to go to Dublin together.
53	* StrollingThroughTheChaos: Eddie bikes with his headphones on through an active live fire training zone without noticing. The soldiers [[PlayedForLaughs run after him]] to try to alert him.
54	* TooMuchInformation:
55	** Eddie's brother Jack constantly brings details about Eddie-related gossip up at the dinner table. Ian indulges it and Hannah grimaces.
56	** Students at the school have ''no problem'' announcing rather personal things to anyone who will hear, including in the middle of class.
57	* VitriolicBestBuds: Amber and Eddie. The two's friendship is started by Amber throwing a rock at Eddie's bike and knocking him off of it. After that, she {{dope slap}}s him once, and both of them insult each other. Despite this, it's clear both are best friends. [[spoiler:Amber even gives Eddie all the money she had saved at the end.]]
58	* VulgarHumor: Kev and his friends fall into this frequently, especially when taunting people.
59	* WhatTheHellHero: After she comes out without warning, Eddie [[ArmoredClosetGay calls Amber a slur]] to get her to go away and publicly distance himself from her. [[JerkassHasAPoint Even Kev calls it out]], which prompts Eddie to attack him for his [[HypocriteHasAPoint hypocrisy]]. He is then called into Sweeney's office, who tells him this is not like him, and later Amber rightfully knocks him off his bike to yell at him.
60	* WhereEverybodyKnowsYourFlame: Amber and Eddie off in Dublin party at a gay club. Eddie has his {{first kiss}} with a man there, and Amber meets Sarah, who becomes her girlfriend. A {{drag queen}} performing there also gives Eddie kind comfort.
61	* YawnAndReach: Kev tries this on Janet after seeing Eddie and Amber run off together.
62	-->'''Janet''': "Don't touch me."
63	-->'''Kev''': "Totally fair."

Context Film / DatingAmber