The Long Island Project (2006)

Taxes are up in New York and people are unhappy. So, two friends, Johnnie Tramaine (Kevin Gall) and Rasputin O’Dwyer (Chris Diaz), come up with a solution to the problem of being part of New York--secede. What they are referring to as The Long Island Project is challenging, but they believe that creating the first socialist State of Long Island will solve their problems. So, with multiple hoops to jump through, the friends set out on the adventure of a lifetime. But will they be successful?

How ridiculous does a small portion of the United States attempting to separate itself from the union sound? Well, the reality is likely that you don’t think about the idea of a city or state attempting to secede from the union--but just last year (2020), in Portland, Oregon, that very thing happened. When a family was nearly evicted from their home, a community rose up and created an autonomous zone where they no longer operated under the control of the U.S. government. The small details aren’t important in this setting, but the truth is that a group--regardless of their size--attempted, for all intents and purposes, to secede from the United States. Me watching The Long Island Project couldn’t have come at a better time, as the idea of this country becoming fractured is fresh in my memory. The relevance of Eric Norcross and Francisco Pina’s film is uncanny at this juncture in American history, and this alone was enough to pique my interest and allow me to remain engaged throughout.

The Long Island Project touches on the ideas of friendship, paranoia, American pride, and good old fashioned ingenuity. There’s a lot that goes into this project, and viewers are taken on a journey that may have the potential to be overcrowded, but manages to play out nicely. The cornucopia of ideals and themes play nicely with one another and never manage to step on the others. Viewers are given so much information, and, again, while that could have been a bit much to handle, Norcross and Pina do a wonderful job of incorporating all of their ideas without viewers feeling overwhelmed.

The numerous themes that play out throughout the course of The Long Island Project are wonderful, and they are likely to engage a wide-range of viewers, but there are some issues that exist within the film as well. To be blunt: the sound has some serious issues. There are moments when things are entirely too loud, and others when it’s almost impossible to hear what’s going on. The issues regarding sound make it difficult from time to time to appreciate the content and what the minds behind The Long Island Project are attempting to present to their viewers. However, the uniqueness and individuality of what The Long Island Project offers allows viewers, even in those frustrating moments, to appreciate the film

I felt emotionally connected to the characters in the film, and much of that comes from the film’s concept. I genuinely appreciate the story as it begs viewers to ask the question “what if?” For a film with some cinematic issues, I was able to become invested in all that it said early on, and, again, I truly believe that this comes from the very concept of what Norcross and Pina are presenting to their viewers. The Long Island Project is unique and viewers are entertained from beginning to end. The film is fun, the actors are interestingly relatable, and the storyline is one that I instantly fell in love with.

Directed by Eric Norcross & Francisco Pina.

Written by Eric Norcross & Francisco Pina.

Starring Kevin Gall, Chris Diaz, Jack Moran Jr., John ‘J.T.’ Tully, Dawn Simonds, Greg Vorob, etc.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐½/10