Sorry for the delayed response!
Your lead actor really does have a great face - his inflection also reminds me of Roman Polanski’s in The Tenant: A constant uncertainty, like he thinks he’s not supposed to be anywhere he’s at and is trying to fit in for fear of something terrible happening…
I really loved your opening shot, the way it’s choreographed, the hands finally extending offering Raban the umbrella and briefcase, and the way the depth of the shot changes as the light behind him spills when the door is re-opened. I also enjoyed the later shot when we’re with Raban as he’s walking the streets and our pov changes to become more distant as he enters/exits the bus. These more complex shots that a lot of forethought go into seem to be a real talent of yours. Have you seen Angst? I think you might like that movie. The feeling of the whole world imposing a sense of menace, Raban feeling out of step came across very well.
I think the first few minutes can be shortened a bit. You have some beautiful images in this section (I'll echo jenkins' reference to the 1920s), but the character interactions that follow it are much more dynamic and my feeling is that the beginning could be trimmed to give the short a bit more momentum towards those following conversations. At three minutes in we know Raban has left somewhere, he’s concerned with the time, and he’s thinking of his future wife, but this information is dolled so sparingly that I began to stir. If your picture isn’t locked, I have some more detailed notes I could PM you about this section (if you're interested / feel free to yell “fuck no” at your computer screen).
I liked the tension you created panning back and forth from Raban’s conversation on the street to the bus doors opening and closing, and the lighting in the restaurant later was beautiful, made it feel like the interior was *boiling*. The scene in the train also felt very, solid, for lack of a better word. I loved being able to glance back and forth between Raban and the woman sitting next to him with the wilderness shooting by. Pure cinema.
I agree with Garam that these parts of Europe are some of the most cinematic places on earth. You could train your camera on nothing and there's conflict to spare.
