A two-time winner at this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards (Someone the Watch Award, John Cassavetes Award), Premature is a poignant portrayal of young love at the peak and demise of a relationship.

Directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green, Premature will transport you back to the very moment you felt sparks fly between a loved one, igniting both the butterflies in your stomach when the times were good and the pit in the same spot when things went south. The beauty of this film, in particular, is the delicate way in which these emotions are felt, worked through, and expressed through art and poetry.

Co-writer and lead Zora Howard plays Ayanna, a teenager enjoying her last summer in New York City with friends before attending out of state school in the fall. Unexpectedly, she meets and falls for Isaiah (Joshua Boone), whose persistence to date her eventually pays off. The duo quickly becomes inseparable, growing and learning from each other as they come of age together, even if only just for a few weeks. A fear of commitment followed by an unexpected pregnancy tarnishes their relationship that began as simple and pure, forcing Zora to make grown-up decisions despite being just a kid herself. To cope, she pours her emotions into a journal, which becomes full of beautiful and heartbreaking poems about the girl she used to know.

Rashaad Ernesto Green captures the fleeting moments of young love so beautifully; the first date that lasts for hours and the many firsts of getting to know someone among them. The fragile piano score adds to the film’s delicacy and somberness, a beautiful accompaniment to a layered story. Adding another powerful moment to Premature‘s entity is one of the closing songs, performed live, with the sharply-felt lyrics “We were too young to live this old.” A perfectly put sentiment, and an early contender for one of the best original songs of 2020.

Sure there are plenty of films about self-discovery and teenage love, but Premature is different. It doesn’t shy away from the authentic, real-life problems that can’t be fixed with an “I’m Sorry” sign or begging for forgiveness. It’s a thoughtful work that cuts right to the heart.

PREMATURE (2020)

Starring Zora Howard, Joshua Boone, Michelle Wilson

Directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green

Written by Rashaad Ernesto Green, Zora Howard

Distributed by IFC Films. 90 minutes. Now playing at select Laemmle theaters and On Demand.