This all stuff that I already know, but by no means am I arguing against you. Is there any particular examples of things that you would have cut out? Because like I said, I'm aware of eveything you just posted. And my biggest concern during the completion of the film was just what you said. I asked myself "okay, i get it because i wrote it. but will my audience get it?" I had multiple meetings with my Professors, Crew, and Outside viewers prior to completion to "trim the fat" and get a sense of what someone who wasn't part of the production team thinks about the film.
I'm not sure if you had a specific example from my film that you felt didn't help the narrative or if you were just giving me general constructive advice.