Since you seem to really have kicked some ass with this project, I'm going to be nitpicky.
Outstanding:
-Sound design
-Acting from leads was great
-Grade was overall very nice
-Set design, wardrobe, location, and props!!!!
-Shot selection (particularly nice move at 11:30)
-Cutting (both times when the female lead steals a pendant)
-Knife throw was so dope.
-Cut at 14:01 and preceding dialogue.
-I finally got a little insight into the male and female leads relationship in the final scene and that moment was beautifully written, I just wish I had that insight earlier so I could care about her and their relationship.
Needs work:
-Some shots in the car are underexposed, hardly can I see his face.
-Contrast in the grade slightly varied in some places
-I was never connected to the relationship between our male and female leads. They had a previous relationship that has a fairly big impact between them throughout the story, but I don't feel connected to the relationship. This is not to say that I didn't feel connected to the male protagonist (you gave me reason to care about him many times, notably in the "pre-meeting" scene).
-Whip pan sound FX at 10:50 are unnecessary, takes me out of the film. Like the pan, not the sound clip.
-Underexposure was a fairly constant problem throughout.
-A little slow. It lacked enough intensity and pace.
-Fist-fighting scenes could have been cut a little quicker. Or maybe just a little less subtlety with the sound FX there, I want to hear that smack when our lead knocks out his enemy.
-Acting from secondary characters was a little lackluster.
-Cut at 14:34 is awk.
-Final shot totally unnecessary. If there is any home for that shot, it's after the credits roll.
Weird:
-What kind of archeologist drives a mini cooper? (a filmmaker needs car space for gear, as I'm sure an archeologist does, too, let alone for driving to remote locations)
-I find myself frustrated with stories that use objects as generic motivating devices. "The pendant," "the device," "the computer chip implant." It's something I notice in everything from short shorts, to TV, to features. I want the lore of the object, the background, the information that will make me value it highly if it's so damn important. Now, I know this is difficult to do, especially working within length and time constraints, but isn't that one of the great challenges of filmmaking?
Overall that is a quick 15 minute watch, I was entertained wholly, I liked the story, plus it wasn't something I see everyday. So much great in this project, keep up the killer work!!!
