American Assault

When Jayden meets Natalie, their friendship forms over shared passions - and childhoods that were impacted by the broken American system.A relationship blossoms, despite the challenges of managing Nat's bipolar disorder and her dysfunctional family circumstances, when they move in together, they plan a positive future together, balancing Nat's spontaneity and wild ways with Jayden providing the stability she needed.With escalations of Nat's mother's racism towards Jayden and motivated efforts to break up the relationship. Jayden was faced with being in a tough position wanting to stand by Nat and their relationship yet struggling to deal with the taunts & prejudice towards him. Then on the night of January 8th, 2017, Nat's estranged father Clark unexpectedly appears at the foot of their second-floor condo entrance stairs, armed with a bat & large knife, ambushing the couple as they open their door. With undeniable rage & clear intent to harm, Clark lunges up the stairs towards them. Life with a permanent disability, but it's the emotional impact that is even harder to repair. It's a reminder that being a victim of crime from a violent assault leaves scars that are not always seen - and a story about being young and black in a system where, even if you're a victim, you can also be a target. For Jayden, healing is about overcoming the obstacles that have already been thrown in his way - and the ones he still has to face.