Premature

Bluesky

A night of drunken passion. A damaged condom. The dangerous allure of wishful thinking. “Why didn’t you take the morning after pill?” asks Cameron (James Rottger) when he finally manages to corner Eilidh (Elle Watson) so that they can have a proper conversation about the unplanned pregnancy. Her “I forgot” makes no sense to him, but there will be viewers who relate to it. It’s not an uncommon reaction to a surprising and potentially disruptive event, to stick one’s head in the sand and hope it goes away. The odds were that she’d get away with it, but as that hasn’t happened, they need to figure out what to do.

The obvious thing is to have an abortion, but that, too, requires a clarity and purpose that Eilidh doesn’t seem capable of. We will learn, over time, about the weight of compromise and crushed ambition that may have contributed to this. Cameron, by contrast, has a lot of ambition. He’s always been career-focused. They have a strong friendship despite this difference, but they’re not a couple. At least, not yet.

A gentle romcom about taking on the big events that for the bedrock of most people’s lives, but approaching them in an unusual order, Premature is distinguished by its Glasgow setting and the strong influence of Glaswegian culture. Both leads are likeable, relatively inexperienced but adept enough in their roles. There’s a solidity to Eilidh that makes one believe she can cope with a great deal, even if her efforts to take the initiative lead the pair into difficult situations. Cameron is a little more delicate, not least constitutionally, his efforts to use alcohol to cope with the shock leading to something not unlike morning sickness. Eilidh finds herself nursing him through the pregnancy at the same time as trying to figure out the practicalities. What she really needs from him is emotional support, but though he’s a sweet guy, it’s not altogether clear where his priorities lie.

Each main character has a parent around to contribute a more seasoned perspective. Both seem very comfortable – despite Cameron expressing money worries early on, and some concern about the cost of baby essentials, neither seems seriously concerned as to how they’ll pay the rent, and neither does Eilidh address how or if she’ll fit a baby into her working life. They also have very few friends. It’s one thing to focus only on a specific part of life when developing a story like this, but at times they feel as if they have been lifted out of real life altogether.

Only towards the end is there really a sense of pressure, when ambition comes into conflict with their budding romance, and an undefined but tangible love for Scotland becomes a third player in the relationship. Still, not every film requires tension to drive it, and there’s a warmth to this one which will encourage viewers to stick with it. Independently produced on a budget of just £16,000, it’s really an astonishing achievement, looking and sounding every bit as polished as the big studio films screening alongside it. It also features music from several leading Glasgow bands (including writer/director Kevin Walls’ own), and, for a début feature, finds its own voice with impressive confidence.

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