| Director | Carlos López Estrada |
|---|---|
| Runtime | 95 min |
| Country | United States |
| Box office | $5 million |
Collin Hoskins, an African-American convicted felon, is struggling to finish the last three days of his probation. Collin, along with his short-tempered white best friend, Miles Turner, works for a moving company located in Oakland, California. One night while waiting for a red light, Collin witnesses a white police officer fatally shoot a fleeing black man. As Collin is haunted by the incident, he begins to have nightmares and experiences hallucinations.
At the same time, Miles becomes distraught by the gentrification of Oakland and a resulting sense of loss of identity, home, and belonging. Miles purchases a handgun from a friend on the basis of self-protection, an action of which Collin strongly disapproves. Collin tries to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend Val; there is an awkward distance between them despite their feelings for each other. A witness recounts the fight which led to Collin's incarceration: Collin was working door at a local club when a drunk white customer stepped outside to show off a flaming drink. Collin informed him that this violated state liquor laws but the man verbally abused and shoved Collin, starting a fight which ended with the man beaten and set aflame; Val witnessed the end of this shocking scene.
As Miles continues to display erratic behavior, Val warns Collin of the dangers that may result from a continued friendship with Miles. On Collin's last evening of probation, Miles's young son Sean finds the gun and Collin narrowly averts a tragic accident. Horrified, Sean's mother Ashley forces Miles and Collin to take the gun and leave.
Miles and Collin go to a party at an upscale new house owned by an enthusiastic newcomer to Oakland. The "kill a hipster" T-shirt that Sean gave Miles is misinterpreted as being an ironic self-effacing statement, and the only other African-American man at the party takes issue with Miles's persona, misinterpreting it as cultural appropriation. They get into a physical fight and Miles takes out his frustrations, beating the man. Ordered to leave, Miles terrorizes the host and his guests by firing his gun into the air while proclaiming his authenticity to the neighborhood.
Collin rushes Miles away before the police arrive and takes his gun. In an explosive argument, Collin criticizes Miles for his reckless behavior and the trouble it keeps causing him. Miles returns home and reconciles with Ashley while she treats his injuries, and he realizes that he doesn't face the same struggles as his loved ones. Collin phones Val and, referencing the face–vase illusion from her college studies, asks if she has a blind spot with him and whether she can see past her recollection of the fight.
With his probation completed, Collin continues to feel psychologically troubled by the police shooting he witnessed. As he and Miles are finishing a moving job, the house is revealed to be that of Officer Molina, the same police officer whom Collin witnessed killing a man days earlier. Collin holds the officer at gunpoint, and Miles watches as Collin launches into a freestyle rap, criticizing the relationship between the police and African Americans, as well as the gentrification in Oakland. He breaks some of the officer's property, but does not shoot the gun, leaving the distraught officer behind. Following a moment of solemnity, Collin and Miles repair their friendship as they drive to their next job.