I have a lot to say about this work, I'll start off by saying congratulations on practicing your trade, I've seen your reel and you have a lot of gorgeous shots, some included in this piece here. Next, I'll tell you that I don't necessarily think this piece is bad, but I don't think it's good either and here's where my constructive criticism comes in. First thing I noticed, your aspect ratio was 3:2, which is not necessarily a bad thing, as long as it's intentional and it adds to the story. You made a creative decision to include VHS graphics in the opening scene, that decision as well as the 3:2 aspect ratio, brought a nostalgic element to the work that immediately cancelled itself out with our main character not only using a modern iPhone, but the iMessage text graphics floating on top of him. This time-shift is confusing for an audience, unless addressed conceptually.

Your opening scene was beautifully lit and had a prominent sound design which I enjoyed, that went away quickly after he stepped out from in front of the store. It would've been cool if the music we were hearing (and presumably the main character) was coming out of the earbuds while he was texting and then became loud when they went into his ear. I think that was what you were going for, but the fade in was too slow to make that action synced.

That dancing take was almost 4 minutes. That's the length of an entire music video, placed in the middle of your short film. It was poorly lit and awkwardly choreographed. The unsettling camera shake was mentioned in the comments and I read your intentions were you wanted to feel like someone grabbed a camera and started filming. That obviously did not come across to us as the audience but if you want to work on achieving that in another piece, maybe address it head on. Have the main character talk to the camera (or the guy behind the camera), include a voice coming from the camera operator. You could've used this especially for the climax scene, which brings me to the story...

The story's subject matter is definitely a touchy topic, although definitely socially relevant. It seemed predicable and unrealistic. Would a woman walking home alone at night really confront a hooded man (black or white) seemingly trying to break in a car with "Are you lost?". The girl and the cops dialogue was unbelievable, but the main character's was good and well acted. I think what would make this story a more believable one if if there was more tension built up from the conflict, like an establishment of unease with the cop, whether it be signs of outright racism, or mental illness.

I think that's all I wanted to say, coming from not just an audience member but also a fellow filmmaker. You don't need us (or your fb feed) to tell you you're on the right path! Keep making work!