Experiencing Interruptions?

The Stream

When a first generation American son learns of his Russian immigrant father’s financial catastrophe, he reluctantly agrees to one last tumultuous trip to their beloved family lake house before it’s sold.

What follows is the journey of a father and son on the road, bound towards selling a home they love. Trapped with one another they must confront their opposing views of America and ultimately their views of each other.

  • Samuel Dubin
    Director
  • Sam Dubin
    Writer
  • Sam Dubin
    Producer
  • Santiago Bukovsky
    Producer
  • Lauren Guido
    Producer
  • Maggie Shea
    Producer
  • Sam Dubin
    Key Cast
    "David"
  • Ivan Logvinov
    Key Cast
    "Misha"
  • Joshua Knoller
    Director of Photography
    Inhuman
  • Sophie Underwood
    First Assistant Director
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Family
  • Runtime:
    18 minutes 48 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    February 4, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English, Russian
  • Shooting Format:
    Arri Alexa
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Fayetteville Film Festival
    Fayetteville, Arkansas
    United States
    October 21, 2022
    The Stream US Premiere
  • Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival
    Providence and Newport
    United States
    August 17, 2022
    N/A
    Semi-Finalist
  • Cobb International Film Fest's Indie Night
    Marietta, Georgia
    United States
    April 12, 2023
  • Omeleto

    Online Premiere
  • Film Shortage
Director Biography - Samuel Dubin

Sam Dubin is an actor, writer, and filmmaker from Atlanta, Georgia, and a proud graduate of The University of Michigan's BFA Acting Program. He also got a minor in creative writing! The Stream is his directorial debut, but he's been acting all his life in many different plays and films, some of which include Angels in America, Grapes of Wrath, and Proud to Present..., plus a handful of student films. He's also had the opportunity to study at the Atlantic Theatre Company and the Moscow Art Theatre! He is so, so excited to bring this film to you!!

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

The Stream was born from a deep curiosity about the relationship between my immigrant Russian father and myself. Throughout most of my childhood, my family owned a lake house. Owning this house was one of the prouder achievements of our family’s life. But years ago we fell into a deep financial crisis and had no choice but to sell it.

After passing this house for the first time in a few years, the feelings and memories of selling it came flooding back: Exploring loss and grief and joy on the road. Generational divide. The loss of a home. That weird moment when you realize your parents can make mistakes — which means you can too. And of course, the American dream — or its failures. This is what we hoped to explore in The Stream.

The film takes place in two time periods. The present, when our father and son take their final road trip to sell the house, is shot cinematically. And the past, the family’s first trip to the house, is filmed VHS home video style. Through this choice, we attempted to create a visual juxtaposition between the joy and nostalgia of home video and the cinematic feeling of being trapped in a car. All the while capturing the beautiful expanse of the road and the natural Georgia Summer greens, blues, and browns.

This story is part of a goal I made to write and direct my first ever short film. When I showed the script to my father for the first time, he seemed scared and ashamed. I honestly thought the film would end right then and there.

But as we’ve worked on this film we’ve come to realize that this story is not for us, but for the children of immigrant parents, the parents of American-born children, those who’ve struggled with financial loss, and so much more. We hope this film can speak to a universal idea of family and what it means to dream in America.