Premature
IFC Films | Release Date: February 21, 2020 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
81
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Los Angeles TimesJustin ChangFeb 20, 2020
Directed with bristling immediacy by Rashaad Ernesto Green (“Gun Hill Road”), Premature could be classified as a love story, a coming-of-age drama, a cautionary tale (the title offers a clue) and a portrait of young black women and men finding their way in contemporary New York. But it also strikes me as a movie about the uses and occasional uselessness of language, with stop-and-go verbal cadences that seem particularly attentive to what its characters say and don’t say. Read full review
90
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisFeb 20, 2020
Every moment rings true, the vividly textured locations and knockabout relationships more visited than created. Read full review
89
Paste MagazineAndrew CrumpFeb 26, 2020
It’s a gorgeous, shattering film. It’s an unapologetically real film about a number of very real subjects, plot-agnostic but driven by character, consequence and compassion. Read full review
88
Washington PostAnn HornadayFeb 26, 2020
A delicious slow-burn of a movie, the kind of coming-of-age tale that looks familiar on the surface only to reveal hidden depths of beauty and meaning. Read full review
83
The PlaylistJoe BlessingFeb 20, 2020
In a movie landscape cluttered with coming of age stories, it’s worth asking what distinguishes a straightforward example such as Premature. Two things do – authenticity and Zora Howard. Howard is a breakout talent and she endows this story with grace and passion. Read full review
80
TheWrapCandice FrederickFeb 20, 2020
Premature captures that unexpected, earth-shattering moment in life when you realize adulthood, real adulthood, is not so simple and cute. It’s difficult, it’s scary, and it’s heartbreaking at times. That’s what Howard’s beautiful performance conveys. Read full review
80
Film ThreatAlan NgFeb 20, 2020
Premature is teen love portrayed in an adult manner. Its grit and realism distinguish it from other teen love stories that force sappy, profound one-liners meant only for a good trailer moment. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comOdie HendersonFeb 21, 2020
At times, Premature has the same fly-on-the-wall, near-improvisational and casually meandering qualities of a Cassavetes film, though its refreshingly honest and direct depiction of Black sexuality made me think of early Spike Lee or Bill Gunn. Read full review
75
IndieWireKate ErblandFeb 20, 2020
The film’s most telling scene unfortunately marks a steep divide between the fine-tuned first half and a back end that threatens to crumble into cliche. Read full review
75
New York PostJohnny OleksinskiFeb 20, 2020
Premature doesn’t break much new ground. But it sure breaks hearts. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJon FroschFeb 20, 2020
This is an imperfect but stirring drama, by turns sweet, sexy and quietly wrenching. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeFeb 20, 2020
While Premature may seem less professional than your average Sundance movie (much less entry-level studio fare), that doesn’t diminish what’s fresh, vulnerable and true about the film. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreJan 28, 2020
The performances and the milieu, with its colorful colloquial speech and loving if blundering sisterly relationships, is what sells “Premature” and makes it an indie film well worth your time. Read full review
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