There’s poetry in “Premature” — literally, if not always cinematically. Zora Howard, a spoken word artist and sometime actor who reunites with director Rashaad Ernesto Green for his second feature …
for his second feature , plays Ayanna, a tentatively romantic Harlem teenager navigating a relationship for which neither side seems ready.
“Premature” offers a ground-level alternative to more sensationalistic, adversity-themed African-American stories. Green filmed on 16mm, occasionally grabbing scenes without permits on actual New York streets, which lends a kind of unfussy authenticity to the material. A few key shots appear out of focus; others might have been improved with more time, more takes or simply more experience.
Howard comes across as confident among her closest friends but uncertain around Isaiah , who’s slightly older and arguably more mature when it comes to dating. They spot each other on the neighborhood basketball court, and again at the laundromat. Though Isaiah behaves like a gentleman, Ayanna is wary.
At the outset, Ayanna has her sights set on college. She lives at home with a hard-working mom who’s flawed, but hardly to the degree of the grotesque stereotypes so often depicted . In any case, she’s not really someone Ayanna can turn to with intimate questions about what she’s going through. At first, Isaiah seems like a decent guy, and the love scenes between the two are beautifully rendered, as Green captures a mutual vulnerability in their connection.
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