Ragamuffin (2025): Review and Summary

“Ragamuffin” with a focus on a burgeoning queer girl raised in a southern motorcross world, creates the type of story that, with being based on its creator’s life, hopefully becomes a long term passion project.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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“Ragamuffin” Film Details

Runtime: 14 Minutes
Release Date: January 30, 2025
Initially Available On/Via: Film Festival – Sundance
Advisory Film Rating: Not Rated
Genre(s): Drama, Young Adult, LGBT+
Director(s): Kaitlyn Mikayla
Writer(s): Kaitlyn Mikayla

Summary

In Lizella, Georgia, Ryan and her dad, Mike, run a small mobile motorbike store. From what it appears, from Mike’s former career to Ryan’s potential one, racing is their life, and in Mike’s mind, with Ryan being deaf, she has an edge since she can block out everything when racing. However, with Ryan starting to get crushes and not living up to how much her dad hypes her up, so comes the question of whether she’ll stick to it, burn out similarly to her dad, or if a level of animosity may bubble to the point of her leaving this life behind entirely?

Character Descriptions

Ryan (Eden Harper)

Eden Harper appears in Ragamuffin by Kaitlyn Mikayla, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Jared Bedrejo.

Born into the world of motocross, Ryan has an interest in the sport, but with slowly but surely becoming a teenager, possibly having queer feelings, and questioning if she is doing motocross because her dad did or she actually likes it, things are shifting for Ryan and her relationship with her dad.

Mike (Robert Hadlock)

While he hasn’t been an active racer in 20 years because of his back, Mike, or Mad Mike, is still very much part of the local scene, and between his legacy and his looks, he is still able to have some fun with the local women.

Review

Highlight(s)

  • How Immensely Invested You Get Into Ryan’s Story [88/100]
  • The Community Built Around Motorcross [84/100]

Overall

Our Rating (86/100): Positive (Worth Seeing) – Recommended

Eden Harper appears in Ragamuffin by Kaitlyn Mikayla, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Jared Bedrejo.

With appearing to be based on writer/director Kaitlyn Mikayla’s life, you can credit that to the lived in and engrossing feeling that “Ragamuffin” gives. What they present in this short doesn’t make you feel like a voyeur but a fly on the wall or a quiet kid who doesn’t bother anyone, so they don’t pay you any mind. Which allows this sense that whether Mike is partying or running his business, you’re there.

But, while Mike’s partying and lifestyle are interesting, and it is cute to see him raise Ryan, it is Ryan’s coming of age that can feel like watching your awkward little cousin grow up. For when Ryan isn’t racing, she is managing her dad’s store and while it is subtle, Ryan is developing feelings for girls. This makes the way some of the women dress, or how comfortable they are changing around Ryan to try out her dad’s wares, anxiety-inducing for her.

Now, I should note that the film jumps forward, so we don’t get to fully know what becomes of Ryan, but assuming this is fully based on Mikayla’s life, she does well. It isn’t clear what happened to her dad when she left, or maybe why she left, but hopefully, that can be expanded on.

Content Information

  • Dialog: Cursing
  • Violence: Not Applicable
  • Sexual Content: Sexual Situations (Implied)
  • Miscellaneous: Drinking, Smoking

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been reviewing media since 2010. He approaches each production with hope, rooting for every story to succeed, and believes criticism should come from unmet potential, while praise is reserved for work that meets or exceeds expectations.