Directed by first-time filmmaker Kevin Walls, the movie follows an art school dropout in her twenties who faces an unexpected pregnancy.
Unexpected Parenthood on a Minisucule Budget
The film explores the period before the arrival of a child, focusing on characters who find themselves preparing for parenthood outside traditional timelines. According to reviews, the story centers on Eilidh, an artist and museum cafe barista played by Elle Watson, and her flatmate Cameron, a finance worker played by James Rottger. The two share a friends-with-benefits living arrangement. Cameron has spent years in a mind-numbing entry-level position after earning two degrees and accumulating student debt, and he has finally secured an interview for his dream job just as the pregnancy begins. Reviewers note that Walls gives the production the screwball-ish energy of a couple embarking on their first date at three months pregnant.
Navigating Choices and Career Impacts
When Eilidh decides against taking abortion tablets, she cannot provide Cameron with a coherent reason beyond a gut feeling, according to published reports. Reviews state that Walls deliberately steers clear of the broader pro-choice and anti-abortion debate. However, critics point out that the script tends to align more closely with Cameron’s perspective as he stresses over how a child will alter his professional trajectory. Eilidh mostly breezes through the pregnancy, though one specific sequence involves the characters wearing tights over their heads to break into a house and steal a secondhand cot—a moment that reviewers describe as reducing the film’s likability. Amid these friction points, the narrative features softer elements, including guidance from Cameron’s father, who offers the observation that life does not give two shits about personal plans.
Did you know? Premature was produced on a minuscule budget and marks the feature-length directorial debut for Kevin Walls.
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