I’ve got some bonus content for you this week in the form of a screener review courtesy of Ruth and Sonorous Films. Premature opens in U.K. cinemas 18 September.
Title: Premature
Director: Kevin Walls
Release Date: 18 September 2026 (Theatrical – United Kingdom)
Runtime: 1 hour 28 minutes
Cameron (James Rottger) and Eilidh (Elle Watson) are good friends who also happen to be flatmates. Cameron is driven by his career and the desire to attain his dream job. Meanwhile, Eilidh is more of a struggling artist type, content with things as long as she can get by and make her art.
Despite living together, they’ve always had boundaries in place. Though one night, after they’d both been drinking, all caution is thrown to the wind as the two hook up. As their luck would have it, when Eilidh later takes a pregnancy test, she’s pregnant.
While they aren’t even together as a couple, let alone prepared to be parents, they are sensible. Both Cameron and Eilidh agree that termination is the only path forward. Eilidh goes to her appointment, learns that she’s six weeks along and can self-administer the procedure at home. She’s given a rundown of what to expect, when and how to take the pills, and is sent on her way.
But what if Eilidh has a change of heart? After all, she and Cameron are good friends, they could handle this.
Right?
Premature isn’t looking to reinvent the romcom formula, and it doesn’t need to. Writer and director Kevin Walls (who also served as DP and producer) confidently leans into the genre rather than reaching for a reinvention that nobody asked for. He succeeds thanks to his script and two strong performances from Rottger and Watson.
The writing is sharp. We aren’t ever presented with anything that is too far-fetched for our leads. Instead, everything with them is grounded in reality. Given where they are in their respective lives, every scenario seems like a practical situation they’d find themselves in. Walls knows when things need to be serious, has a keen eye for when comedic relief is needed (the whole subplot about a cot for instance), and knew he had two capable leads to bring it all to life.
There are very few supporting characters and the camera very rarely leaves one or both leads. That puts a lot of pressure onto Rottger and Watson to be able to get the audience invested in Cameron and Eilidh and they deliver. Both are likable on their own and even more so when they’re together. There’s a palpable chemistry between them that makes it all work.
If you’re a fan of romcoms, you’ll find plenty to love in Premature.