The Samuel Project

I thought this was a well-done little indie .Part of the film deals with the Holocaust, and while it doesn't gloss over it, it doesn't overwhelm the movie either. Striking a nice balance which made for an interesting story.

Eli (Ryan Ochoa) is a high school kid who doesn't really fit in. He's a bit of a loner and a talented artist. His dream is to become an animator. For his media class, he's tasked with creating an animated film that not only tells a story, but captures a bit of history. He decides to interview his grandpa Samuel (Hal Linden), who he really doesn't know that much about. So he begins to work in his grandfather's laundromat while encouraging him to discuss his childhood. It turns out, Samual hid out from the Nazis during the war and watched as his whole family was killed by German soldiers.

Samuel has kept his family history a secret, and in fact, they were so painful, he never even told his own son about these events. So Eli has a fascinating story to tell, and he does a great job of creating a short animated movie. "The Samuel Project" was a fresh take on a somewhat familiar story. I thought the acting, writing, and cinematography were all great.

--MovieJunkieMark.

The movie The Samuel Project directed & written by Marc Fusco is about Grandfather Samuel ( Hal Linden) , his son Robert ( Michael Silver.. from TV Royal Pains)and his 17 yr old grandson Eli( Ryan Ochoa). Eli lives with dad and has typical teenage mannerisms . Eli is an artist and loves to draw. Robert works as a realtor and is always busy buying and selling houses and has average fathering skills. But Robert is a good listener and talks to his son about the significance of education and value of academic degree. Eli's mom left when Eli was a baby. Grandfather Samuel lives alone and has his own dry cleaning business. Robert makes it a point to visit Samuel regularly and tells his son about the importance of visiting dad. Eli does not particularly like spending time with granddad Samuel because they have nothing much in common and nothing to say to each other. But Eli is a good son and a very nice human . Eli is interested in everything he sees and listens. He realizes his granddad Samuel was born in Germany and lived through the war and landed in San Diego years back. Eli chooses his grandfather's life to be the project for his class and works with his teammate Kasim (acted by Mateo Arias) who is obsessed with rock music and has no interest in working with his dad who works as a butcher in his own shop. The movie is directed very well. Excellent acting. It is nice to see clean teenagers focused on their hobbies and ambitions. Ryan Ochoa is perfect for the role of Eli and his acting is Oscar worthy.

The film was beautifully written and the script was well acted. When a piece of art can evoke so much emotion, you know you've got a winner! I don't know if I cried more or laughed more because I was all over the place. The Samuel Project looked like it had a multi-million dollar budget. Hal Linden is a great actor and the younger cast members were great as well.Loved it and would definitely see again.

I'm always up for a movie with Jewish content since I'm a Jew. The characters were well casted and their acting was very entertaining. Hal Linden played Samuel and the grandson, Eli did a class project that encompassed the grandfather's experience in Nazi Germany as a child. He partnered up with a classmate, Kasim and retold the story with Eli's drawing and Kasim's guitar music. There were no lulls or boring parts of the movie. Loved it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this indie film and have already purchased tickets to see it again at the Jewish Film Festival on April 28 in Los Angeles. The story is deep and serious, but at the same time funny - very funny! The relationships between Eli and his grandfather (Hal Linden), Eli and his father, Eli and Kasim, Kasim and his father are so realistic and touching, with lots of humor going on between the generations and the friends. Ryan Ochoa's performance as Eli was simply outstanding and he's truly made his mark in this film! Eli's interpretation of how his grandfather escaped Nazi Germany and his telling of the story through his school art project is so creative and realistic, combining animation/modern technology with such a heartfelt story from the past. Hal Linden delivered a magnificent performance as Samuel, in both the serious scenes as well as the more lighthearted scenes. This movie is definitely worth checking out, and talks to people of all ages.