The Samuel Project

This was a surprising type movie that I came across at Prime, and it was surprising Hal Linden was the grandfather. I didn't know that until the end of the movie. I guess I haven't seen him in anything since the 1980s. He looks totally different. :)

The film starts off with loud, obnoxious music. Turn it down, don't turn it off. You don't want to miss this movie if you are interested in the Holocaust and graphic arts. Also, some of the dialogue is hard to understand at times and some of the captions are wrong. A seriously bad caption job.

Eli obviously hasn't spent much time with his grandfather, and his father doesn't spend much time with Eli. His mother left when he was young and his grandmother died when he was young. Thus, this is a small family of males who don't communicate that well.

That changes, though, when Eli needs a topic for a media arts class project, and he discovers his Jewish grandfather's tragic childhood in Germany. The two become close, with Eli even working part-time in his grandfather's dry cleaning store.

It was interesting to see Eli's finished project at a showing of the top ten contenders in a media arts contest for high school kids. Both his father and grandfather show up for the event, too, when neither planned on going. No mushiness, but three males becoming a bit closer.

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.

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.

The only jarring note in this story is the fact that the age of 17 the grandson had not learned more about the Holocaust in school. Or from his parents. Do California schools really gloss over this part of history so much? Otherwise, all the characters engage in typical commumication (or lack of same) across multiple generations.

The grandfather's WWII story is illustrated in such a way that small children can watch the narrative and understand without being totally overwhelmed by the full horror of the situation.

I hadn't seen Hal Linden in anything for years so it was really good to see him in the role of the grandfather. It appears, though, that he has continued to act in live theater, movies, and TV into his '90s. I may have actually seen him and just not recognized him in character parts!

All the actors are good. If you are looking for an action movie with car chases this is not for you. If you are looking for a human interest story about families you will enjoy it.