Great Movies
Zora Howard and Rashaad Ernesto Green know everything in their film "Premature" inside and out. They know the young lovers at the center of this vibrant and beautiful study of affection and community. They know the bustling Harlem streets on which the film transpires, familiar from decades of living there, a block away from each other, at the center of a small universe that’s been changing for years but whose character remains. They know the emotional highs and lows that everyone in the film experiences across the weeks during which "Premature" takes places. And they know the faces of everyone who passes in front of the camera.
This is a beautiful homegrown tale of people learning hard lessons for the first time before life really starts to take from them. "Premature" is a stunning look at firsts and how it feels to be held and cared for by a community and a person, and how those two can be the same and how those two can conflict. This is a warm film, a joyful one, and an honest one. Ahead of the film's release, I spoke to co-writer and star Howard and co-writer/director Green about their labor of love.
Scout Tafoya is a critic and filmmaker who writes for and edits the arts blog Apocalypse Now and directs both feature length and short films.
