Mouse is one of the more compelling psychological dramas of the year, a film that follows Denny, a lonely criminal who gets involved in a pen pal scam, until a series of lies leads to trouble for everyone involved.

Writer, director and star Kenny Riches pulled from his own experiences to shape the story: one that many can relate to. Born in Japan but raised in Salt Lake City, America, he lived in a mixed-race household, which he believed deeply impacted his experiences, especially in Utah. He explained that while the state has a mono-cultural community, his experience at home was “Asia-centric.”

“I was not raised Mormon, so you can imagine how much more magnified it was there. While my mom is Japanese, she moved to America right after the Vietnam War, and faced a lot of challenges and discrimination, so it set a precedent of feeling a sense of otherness from the get-go, and growing up in the 80s and 90s, the cultural climate was very tough.”

It was these experiences that helped shape the creation of Mouse.

The release of Mouse was the first film Kenny had directed in six years, but even in an industry that is never easy, he suffered setbacks. While he started with a desire to create a film that both he and his mum could star in, the storyline grew from there, using Kenny’s own movie preferences to shape it.

“Once I figured out the storyline, I realized the project could be a fun thriller with con-artists and become more of a film that I’d personally love to watch. Like all films, there were many challenges and setbacks; we even pushed filming back a year to find more financing and cast the other roles.”

Kenny leaned into his own personal experiences of “catfishing.” Kenny revealed that he had a filmmaker friend whom he had never met in person, explaining that his girlfriend joked that if they started asking for money, he’d better watch out. Yet, while catfishing is more prominent now with social media, the choice to set the films in the 2000s was a conscious decision because of the concept of “pen pal services.”

“I wanted the story to take place right before social media and smartphones to show the contrast of a time, not so long ago, that felt so different. Now we’ve gone from analogue scams to digital scams, so it just evolves.”

The whole meaning behind Mouse also saw Kenny leaning into the “lonesome feeling that first and second-generation families have,” adding that he wanted the character’s American identity to help push a complex message about “class dynamics.”

One of the key themes of the movie is “loneliness,” which many people struggle with, and while Denny is a criminal,  his character is relatable and elicits empathy from viewers. Kenny explained that Denny is someone who “doesn’t necessarily know how to navigate social relationships.” He also shared that despite the film being set in the 2000s, he has had struggles and understands the struggles the younger generation is going through.

“There has always been a population of people that are uncomfortable or shy, and we have to remember that anxiety has always existed, we just haven’t always had a name for it. I certainly struggled with anxiety as a young person, and felt like I didn’t know my place. For the younger generations, social media and smartphones were supposed to be a tool to connect us, but that hasn’t panned out to be the case with everyone. Technology can’t be the solution to everything. I think being inclusive and seeing those people that feel invisible can help build bridges, but it’s complicated as there’s never just one road in and out.”

Along with loneliness, the movie conveys a sense that Denny is struggling to belong. Being a POC in America, Kenny shared his own experiences of being born in Japan but moving and growing up in a very different environment.

“The feeling that I was too Asian for the white kids and too white for the Asians was always present when I was growing up. It’s a strange feeling because it’s not all based on looks and what’s on the outside either. At home, I was Japanese, and outside the home, I was American, yet I didn’t learn to speak Japanese fluently, and I looked more white than my sister.

“It didn’t matter if I was white-passing or not, I was still called every Asian slur because kids saw my mom, or saw my school snacks, or found out that I was born in Japan or whatever. Again, I was in grade school in the 80s, so I hope it’s better now, but I’m sure many kids are still harassed. I was eventually embraced by a great group of friends that found middle ground through humour and creativity, and they all love my mom like she was part of the group, so I feel very lucky.”

One of the most important and memorable characters in the movie is Denny’s mum, played by Kenny’s own mother. Kenny knew that he wanted his mum in the film, but she was reluctant. But Kenny revealed that his mum had been in a car accident a few years before the filming, and he wanted to create positive memories of making a film together that lasts a lifetime. All it took was Kenny explaining that it would be cheaper for her to star in the film for her to make the decision, and it was the best outcome.

In the movie, Denny’s mum is integral to the story, someone who is his sole companion, representing his loneliness and lack of belonging throughout, and it wasn’t surprising that her caring personality in the film is exactly the same as real life, but with some added humour.

“Even though my mom is very funny and animated in real life, much of the way Denny and his mom communicate comes from experience. Very loving, and of course overly concerned, but they are there for each other. My mom gives sharp and honest comments that my friends’ parents would definitely never say, but it’s just a cultural difference, so I wanted a little of that too. Denny speaks some Japanese, but pretty poorly, which is not always the case, but in my upbringing my mom wanted to assimilate and focus on English so we could blend in and get jobs.”

Alongside a real-life mother-son duo, the roles of con artists Tess and Maury were played by real-life couple Sarah Coffey and Kimball Farley. The film’s producer found Kimball at a film festival and asked for a tape there, and he felt “right” to play Maury.

Kimball then introduced Kenny to Sarah, and when she auditioned, her voice was “perfect”, and integral to the narration that is a key part of the movie.

In particular, their personal chemistry helped portray Tess and Maury.

“The fact that they are a real-life couple added a lot of sweetness to an otherwise turbulent situation within their characters. As a couple, they could interpret the story through an honest lens and put it into their performance as an on-screen couple.”

One of the most beautiful parts of the movie is the cinematic choices made, whether it was the use of narration during some scenes or the colour grading reflecting the scenes’ moods, to help the audience immerse themselves in the story. Unsurprisingly, this was very important for Kenny to make a “visually interesting” film.

“I wanted to make a visually interesting film with a tone that matched the story I saw in my mind. My cinematographer, Bennett Duchin, and my gaffer, Jason Rogers, really brought this film to life. We filmed for the edit, trying to keep coverage, pacing and movement in mind for every scene. The cultural commentary is important too, but at the end of the day I want to make movies that are fun to watch.”

The film was first shared at film festivals, but is now reaching a wider audience with its cinema release rolling out in the US.

Mouse is a movie that can be interpreted in different ways depending on how you watch it, and Kenny explains that he wants the audience to talk about and look at issues of class dynamics and the cultural makeup of America. Yet, for Kenny, the most important thing he wants viewers to feel is that they “have a fun and entertaining time because it’s a funny and thrilling film!”

Kenny Riches is on Instagram, and you can follow him here.