Review: Premature (2019 Sundance Film Festival)

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Title: Premature
MPAA Rating: Not Yet Rated
Director: Rashaad Ernesto Green
Starring: Zora Howard, Joshua Boone, Michelle Wilson
Runtime: 1 hr 26 mins

What It Is: Ayanna (Howard) is a smart young woman preparing to attend college. When she meets the tall, dark and handsome music producer Isaiah (Boone) everything changes for her. She’s in love. Now navigating her friends, her love and her family seem to all be a bit too much. When certain things happen that prove to be life-changing that’s yet another thing Ayanna has to deal with. What will she do with all that’s on her plate?

What We Think: This is kind of a disappointment. There’s a good script here but the performances are nothing to write home about. A lot of them are rather wooden. There are some sex scenes that break up the pacing glaringly. It is a jarring experience as a whole. Too often the camera is out of focus and that’s an odd decision. Sometimes the cinematography is just gorgeous and other times it is problematic. The shot selection was excellent. Take a look at the beautiful one above. If not for those odd choices to break the film up with those sex scenes this would’ve flowed a ton better.

Our Grade: C+, Much like his previous film Gun Hill Road there’s just too much that breaks up everything. If you want a very refreshing story of a woman having to choose between love and an opportunity. It isn’t that is any sort of new theme but I think the script (penned by Green and Howard) does some new and interesting things, to an extent, with that concept. There are some moments of beauty that will capture the attention of those that love that sort of thing. That’s really the reach for something like this.

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