Radio Inside

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Radio Inside is a 1994 US film, written and directed by Jeffrey Bell. It is classified as a Drama/Romance.

[edit] Plot Summary

Having graduated from college, Matthew Anderson travels to Florida to spend some time with his older brother while deciding what career to pursue. We learn that he is not motivated by money or desire for worldly success; he spends a great deal of time observing marine creatures at the local marine life observation station, and successfully defends his right (against the landlady) to have a small aquarium in the rented apartment. He also earns a significant paycheck by writing radio advertisements, but that sort of work repels him. Urged by his brother to get a job, he becomes a lifeguard at the municipal swimming pool.

We gradually learn that the boys used to spend pleasant summers at an Indiana lake with their family, often swimming across the lake for sport. The final such summer ended in tragedy - Michael had been busy with his career by then and was not at the lake; Matthew and his father began swimming across the lake but the father suffered a heart attack midway and perished despite Matthew's frantic efforts to save him.

This heavy loss weighs on Matthew to the extent that he concludes that God wants us to give everything to him, at least everything we value dearly.

Much of the film is devoted to Matthew's inner thoughts, including his conversations and visits with Jesus. Matthew tells us at the film's beginning that his stream-of-consciousness thoughts are like having a radio inside, with the dial being constantly tuned across the spectrum of available stations.

Mike is dating a girl, Natalie, and is considering asking for her hand in marriage. However, he is often insensitive to her emotional needs, a fact which Matthew recognizes and tries to help with. He becomes emotionally attached to Natalie, but finally realizes that in order to keep his brother, he must also give Natalie up, much as he gave up his father. The heaviness of this realization drives him to a suicide attempt.

The film was shot at Miami Beach, Florida, using Panavision cameras and lenses. Its music score was composed by Gil Goldstein; its cinematography was by Brian Capener; and it was edited by award-winner Jim Clark.

It was rated at 6.0 (out of 10.0) by 284 IMDb raters.

The film was also released in several other languages: