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.
