Written and Directed by Kevin Walls

Review by Dominic Corr

The Scottish romantic comedy is a curiously sparse beast, historically oscillating between undisputed, lightning-in-a-bottle classics and the sort of tartan-draped fluff destined for daytime television – or worse, through an American lens. Stepping into this notoriously tricky arena with a budget of just £16,000, Kevin Walls’ directorial debut, Premature, mercifully binbags the saccharine meet-cute and secures a place as an engaging, screwball film which will find its audience with ease. What we get is a refreshingly jagged, brutally modern dilemma: the sheer, awkward terror of what happens when two financially crippled, emotionally stunted flatmates accidentally conceive a child following a spectacularly forgettable, drunken fumble.

As art-school dropout turned barista Eilidh (Elle Watson) and chronically underemployed finance graduate Cameron (James Rottger) stumble towards impending parenthood, Walls frames their predicament against a beautifully lensed backdrop of Glasgow. Acting as writer, director, and cinematographer, Walls proves exceptionally resourceful, squeezing every drop of cinematic value from limited funds while playfully acknowledging the city’s architectural distinctiveness in a way many who film in Scotland could learn from. Watson and Rottger generate an appealingly awkward, platonic friction that feels refreshingly natural, capturing the existential dread of a millennial generation sold the lie that degrees guarantee security. Their evolving dynamic is anchored by a wonderfully grounded performance from Andrew Rodger as Cameron’s pragmatic father, whose blunt wisdom provides the film with its most emotionally resonant anchor, and additional supporting roles from Gail Watson and stage sensation Kirsty Stuart.

Despite these warm, gentle strengths, the film frequently wrestles with a script that struggles to balance naturalistic dialogue with jarring, stagnant line deliveries. Walls’ screenplay is uneven in focus, frequently feeling more empathetic towards Cameron’s career-based anxieties than Eilidh’s psychological journey. While Eilidh is largely presented as a cheerfully breezy, level-headed pragmatist, bafflingly out-of-character sequences suddenly force her into the role of a manic, something entirely within reason, but handled without nuance in the writing. This bizarre attempt at slapstick not only severely undercuts the film’s previously established realism but risks dampening Watson’s otherwise brilliant performance, feeling like a poorly executed nod to tired genre tropes, something the film usually does well to avoid.

The side characters range from highlights to thinly sketched supporting roles –  Terry Nelson and Zoë Lerman do well with the script’s limitations – but feel largely obligatory, existing merely to tick off standard romcom checkboxes rather than organically advancing the narrative. This clash of instincts – between crafting an offbeat, deeply authentic indie and bowing to conventional formula – often holds the project back from its full potential. But potential there is; from Walls, Rottger, and Watson for sure.

Yet, for all its missteps, Premature retains a scrappy, charming energy that is hard to dismiss. Walls delicately balances the sobering realities of early parenthood with genuine humour, proving there is substantial creative promise buried beneath the awkward script. While it may not instantly join the pantheon of Scottish flicks, this endearing micro-budget effort firmly marks Walls as a promising talent capable of punching far above his financial weight; and plants plenty of flags on the map, reminding those across the nation that there’s plenty of room in Scotland for new talent and creativity.

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