Caleb Gonzalez & Lance Childers Bring 'Ruin Falls' to the Beverly Hills Film Festival: A Story of Grief, Growth, and Letting Go

By Néya Sridhar

“For this, I bless you as the ruin falls. The pains you give me are more precious than all other gains.” - C.S. Lewis. 

Filmmakers Caleb Gonzalez and Lance Childers are making their return to the Beverly Hills Film Festival on April 3, 2025, with their second short film, Ruin Falls.

Credit: Instagram @ruin_falls

“The title of the film is taken from a poem called As the Ruin Falls. The theme of the poem is how you grow closer to the person that you want to be through all the difficulties and pains that life brings you,” said Gonzalez.

Caleb Gonzalez; Photo Given by Gonzalez

Ruin Falls took 5 full days and 2 half days to film, which is substantially shorter than the amount of time a full-length movie would take to film. Through visually stunning cinematography, captivating performances, and just 16 minutes of an audience’s time, Gonzalez and Childers were able to create a short film worth remembering. 

Gonzalez and Childers weren’t always filmmakers. They started out as mere acquaintances at a skatepark in Houston, Texas. Childers recalls, “I started skateboarding when I was 12-years-old, and I met Caleb at a local skate park called Van Skate Park. If I did pick up a camera before I started making short films, it was purely documentative. My friend would want me to film them doing a trick in a way that will look impressive so that he could upload it to prove that he did it.”

Lance Childers; Photo from IMDb

Skateboarding and filmmaking go hand-in-hand for the pair. “The trick is to use the camera to actually see what's happening. So intrinsically you have to learn angles and blocking,” Gonzalez said. 

“So what is your duty as a filmmaker? To tell a story and to tell the truth behind the story. And for that, you need to have those two elements, which we acquired while filming skateboarding.”

Being able to learn to maneuver in specific ways and capture movement was a skill that both Childers and Gonzalez were able to master with their skateboarding background. Effectively, Childers utilized this unique skill during his time as the cinematographer on Ruin Falls. “As far as the camera work, there were fewer static shots. I was walking over rocks and tree stumps. It was not like a smooth surface that we were filming on. It just felt like I'm kind of right up in the action,” he remarked. 

BTS of Ruin Falls; Photo Given by Gonzalez

Ruin Falls consists of many long takes, which are challenging to accomplish. Childers gets further into the nitty gritty of his artistic choices with Ruin Falls, which sets it apart from others. To Childers, long takes are intentional to the story. As the cinematographer, he wanted to be able to use his filmmaking to capture emotion. Childers remarked, “When I have something, it could even be a negative memory; I remember the smells. I remember what the temperature felt like every thought going through my head. Even a bit of sweat coming down like the side of my head.”

“So [I] would really reduce the number of cuts if we can. We’re in the moment with a character, [which] was kind of the motivation for having those long takes,” he adds.

BTS of Ruin Falls; Photo Given by Gonzalez

The film tells the story of grief in the form of friendship with a pair of boys, Ethan and Kyle. There are two sets of pairs; younger and teenage. Young Ethan and Young Kyle are played by Colton Aldridge and Adan Maverick Carcaño. Teenage Ethan and Teenage Kyle are played by Jack Dullnig and Tony Stevens. 

Young Kyle, played by Adan Maverick Carcaño (left), and Young Ethan, played by Colton Aldridge (right); Credit: Instagram @ruin_falls

“The casting choices were definitely very much a case where who we cast in one role affected who he cast in other roles,” Childers pointed out. “We're casting a young version of a character, and obviously the kid who's portraying the teen needs to somewhat look similar,” agreed Gonzalez. 

Teenage Ethan, played by Jack Dullnig (left), and Teenage Kyle, played by Tony Stevens (right); Credit: Instagram @ruin_falls

With 16 minutes, Ruin Falls was able to convey a captivating story. At the very heart of the film is Ethan’s grief from losing his dad as a young kid. Ever since he has been struggling with how to deal with that loss. 

To Gonzalez, the film is an exploration of the pains of letting things go. Childers emphasizes the point that friendships change over time.

“When I talk about this film and the relationship between Ethan and Kyle, I look at my own friendships. Between childhood and adolescence, most of your friendships are a mile wide and two inches deep. The film explores how all of a sudden you drift apart and you don't even know when it's happening. You become older and there you are: miles, miles, and miles apart,” Gonzalez remarked. 

Childers adds a personal anecdote to Gonzalez’s remarks. “When [Gonzalez and I] were friends when I was 13, it’s not the same as it is now that I'm 36. It's not the same friendship.”

“Ethan is clinging to the past, you know, as a 16-year-old. He’s trying to have a 12-year-old friendship,  which doesn't work. He's kind of frozen in the past and refuses to acknowledge any issues.”

Ruin Falls still image, Young Ethan (left) and Young Kyle (right); Credit: Instagram @ruin_falls

“It’s some mechanism of defense he has. Deep, deep issues of letting things go, and it shocks him to actually really do that and move forward in his journey,” Gonzalez said. 

Gonzalez has more on his vision for the way the theme of friendship encapsulates the protagonist’s actions: “Introspection is important, but it should not be an excuse to lock yourself away. That's the balance that Ethan needs to learn. I think it's a great thing that he's introspective, and that he sees the world differently. He's trying to get his friend to see it too.”

“But when you're limited, your vision becomes narrow. It's important to be balanced.  Both characters meet in the middle. Ethan on one extreme and Kyle on the other.”

Ruin Falls still image, Teenage Ethan (left) and Teenage Kyle (right); Credit: Instagram @ruin_falls

Ruin Falls makes its highly anticipated showcase at the Beverly Hills Film Festival on April 3, 2025, Gonzalez and Childers return to a stage that has recognized their previous short film, Sky. Only this time, they bring a film shaped by years of growth. Their journey from skate parks to cinema is a testament to how unexpected influences can shape an artist’s voice, and how the bonds we form, whether through shared tricks at a skatepark ricks or quiet moments behind the lens, can impact us. 

Much like the film’s central themes of grief, friendship, and personal evolution, Gonzalez and Childers' paths reflect the idea that growth often comes through struggle. The pains of the past, as shown through Ethan and Kyle, are not dead ends but stepping stones toward something greater.

With its powerful performances, deeply immersive cinematography, and personal storytelling, Ruin Falls is more than just a short film; it’s an experience. The shortest stories often leave the deepest impact. For 16 unforgettable minutes, audiences will step into that world, walk alongside Ethan and Kyle, and feel every emotion that makes Ruin Falls so uniquely special. 

Credit: Instagram @ruin_falls

For those interested in following the film’s journey, updates and behind-the-scenes content can be found on Instagram: @ruin_falls. 

Additionally, audiences can find contact information using this link: https://ruinfalls.com/home

Tickets for their screening at the Beverly Hills Film Festival can be purchased here: https://beverlyhillsfilmfestival.com/box-office-2025/