242. Interview | MURPHY'S RANCH Director/Writer Mikey Riva, Jr. (Slamdance 2026)

*FULL SPOILERS AHOY FOR MURPHY'S RANCH, ALL HOPE ABANDON YE WHO ENTER HERE*

I interview Mikey Riva, Jr., the director of MURPHY'S RANCH, which premiered yesterday as part of the Unstoppable Shorts program at the Sundance Film Festival in Los Angeles.

The program highlights films made by and including artists with disabilities, bringing their stories and perspectives to the screen.

MURPHY'S RANCH stars Hosea Chanchez and Lee Pugsley (a low-vision actor) as adopted brothers working as pool cleaners for high-value clients in the Hollywood Hills.

They arrive at a new job. The client's a dismissive asshole - typical L.A. shit. But what gives them pause is the client's teenage foster child. It's not the social awkwardness but rather, the hesitation with which he discusses not wanting to be forced out into this camp by the "dad." The more they talk, the more nervous they get, the more they question if they need to intervene.

MURPHY'S RANCH is a welcome dose of sun-drenched '80s buddy cop nostalgia, imbued by Riva's sense of comedy and wit. I liken it to how Edgar Wright put his own spin on genre tropes with HOT FUZZ. By the time the short ended, I was pumping my fist, ready for the story to continue. I'm happy to report that a full feature is Mikey's plan for the future.

This was a fun hang. Hell, the movie's 12 minutes long and this interview is 90, so you can deduce that we had a ton to talk about: Mikey's origins, his choices, the chemistry between Chanchez & Pugsley, the importance of healthy community on a film set. Get a snack and drink and strap in. This interview's a doozy.

MURPHY'S RANCH will play as part of another Unstoppable Shorts block on Feb 22nd, at 7:30 in Theater 5 at the Landmark Sunset Hollywood Theater.

Find more of Mikey's work here.

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