A ROMANTIC sitcom set in Glasgow that follows two flatmates who are forced to confront themselves after they fall pregnant after an impulsive one-night stand is set to hit cinemas across the UK.
The coming-of-age tale, Premature, follows two millennials who aren’t quite “fully formed” as they are forced into an awkward, absurd, and increasingly intimate attempt at preparing for parenthood.
As the two flatmates stumble into something that looks “suspiciously” like a relationship, the pair begin to question the lives they thought they wanted and what they really mean to each other.
Full of homegrown talent, Premature stars James Rottger, best known for his roles in Gary Tank Commander, as he plays career-obsessed Cameron alongside struggling artist flatmate Eilidh, played by Elle Watson in her feature debut, and River City regular Gail Watson.
Premature also marks the feature debut of Cumbernauld writer-director Kevin Walls as he aims to explore themes of relationships and soul-searching with the film set to hit cinemas on September 18.
“Through Cameron, I wanted to explore a very millennial anxiety: the feeling that we were sold a promise that if we worked hard, got the qualifications and pursued a respectable career, life would eventually work out,” Walls said.
He added: “Eilidh is avoiding failure as an artist by avoiding making art entirely.
“Premature was made from the same impulse: to stop waiting for permission and allow myself to be a filmmaker.
“It was also important to me that Eilidh was not defined only by pregnancy or impending motherhood.
“The baby represents responsibility, adulthood, and the need to shift your focus beyond yourself, but Eilidh’s pregnancy does not erase her creativity or ambition.
“The pregnancy is the catalyst that forces Cameron and Eilidh to confront everything they have been avoiding: where they are in their own lives, what they want from the future, and what they mean to each other.”
Walls explained he had a very particular vision of Glasgow that he wanted to capture on screen.
He shot the independent film across the city, from Kelvingrove Park to Glasgow School of Art to the Griffin pub, over 23 days last summer.
“Visually, I leaned into bright colours and saturation, presenting Glasgow in contrast to how it often appears on screen. People fall in love in Glasgow, yet that version of the city isn’t always visible in film and television,” Walls said.
“Scottish stories are often framed through history, crime or social realism. Those stories have their place, but with Premature I wanted to make something contemporary, romantic and recognisably Scottish without defaulting to bleakness.
“Above all, I want Premature to connect with audiences. I want it to entertain them. I want it to move them.”
Walls was able to pull together the film’s £16,000 budget from his freelance work, including acting jobs, screenwriting work, sports video editing, and short-form video production.
He said he was passionate about the film being seen in cinemas across the country instead of risking getting lost as a digital-only release.
Walls previously told The National that although there are “absurd moments” in the film, he feels the story tells a story about love and the internal struggle of trying to figure life out, which he hopes will resonate with people.
When he first wrote the script, his main characters were originally a couple, but he said the decision to switch them to flatmates just “came naturally” and offered him more creative freedom.
“When I changed that relationship to flatmates who were kind of lost and they were kind of late 20s, early 30s, it just became a much more natural way to explore the themes I wanted to explore,” he said.
“I think Glasgow and Scottish films can be quite dim and blue, and it's not to say that we're not good at that or we've not got stories to tell in that space, it's just also nice to do something that feels a bit brighter.
“We can explore things that maybe feel a bit closer to home for people as well.”
