Radio Flyer 1992

Move to Novato and start of new life

In 1969, 11-year-old Mike and 8-year-old Bobby relocate with their mother Mary and their dog Shane from New Jersey to Novato, California after their father leaves. Mary soon enters into a relationship with a man they call The King, setting up a fragile new family dynamic. The move marks the beginning of a tense period the brothers will navigate in relative silence.

The King arrives and reveals trouble

Mary marries The King, a man whose alcohol problem and volatile temper soon become a threat to Bobby. The King drinks heavily and often hurts Bobby, while his constant playing of Hank Williams’s Jambalaya fills the house with an uneasy rhythm. The boys sense the danger, even as Mary remains unaware of the full extent of the abuse.

Boys cling to childhood while the threat grows

With abuse looming over them, Mike and Bobby vow to protect themselves rather than expose their mother to danger. To cope, they recount the ‘seven great abilities and fascinations’ of childhood and explore their new surroundings while dodging neighborhood bullies. Their defiant imagination becomes a shield against a harsh reality.

Kitchen incident and Shane’s retaliation

An unsupervised kitchen experiment to create an anti-monster potion leads to Bobby being hospitalized after an attack by The King. Shane retaliates by violently biting The King’s arm, adding another layer of danger to the household turmoil. The incident deepens the brothers’ fear and strengthens their resolve to escape harm.

The King’s jail and his conditional release

The King spends time in jail following the earlier incident, but is released after his mother's death, returning with flowers and chocolates and promising never to drink or abuse Bobby again. The promise proves fragile, as he violates it soon after when the boys are at school. The family splinters further as trust erodes.

The King breaks the promise, endangering Shane

Despite the stated pledge, The King resumes drinking and aggression, culminating in a moment where he nearly kills Shane. The near-tragic incident fuels the brothers’ decision to take drastic action to protect themselves and their loyal dog. The fragile household teeters on the edge of collapse.

The idea to escape on a flying wagon

Inspired by the urban legend of a boy who attempted to fly away on a bicycle from a cliff nicknamed “The Wishing Spot,” the brothers decide to convert their Radio Flyer wagon into an airplane. They draft a schematic and secretly gather parts from The King’s tools to build the aircraft in their shed. Their plan embodies a desperate hope for safety and freedom.

Funding and clandestine construction

To fund their escape project, Mike and Bobby retrieve lost golf balls on a local course and resell them to golfers. They work secretly on the wagon-turned-aircraft, hiding their progress from The King and keeping the truth from Mary for now. The boys’ ingenuity becomes their lifeline in a dangerous situation.

Farewell and the night ascent begins

The brothers leave a farewell note for Mary and haul the makeshift aircraft to the cliff at night. The King discovers their plan and rushes to stop them while Shane lashes out in defense. The tension peaks as the attempt to fly becomes a test of courage and loyalty.

The flight and the aftermath of confrontation

Bobby speeds down the hill in the improvised wagon-airplane and appears to take off, prompting Mike and Shane to watch in awe. The wing knocks out The King during the takeoff, and Mary arrives with Officer Jim Daugherty to arrest him. Bobby vanishes from sight, but Mike continues to receive postcards from around the world.

Post-flight absence and scattered memories

Though Mike never sees Bobby again, he receives postcards from his brother from various places across the world, confirming a permanent physical separation. The family dynamics shift forever as memory and reality blur around what happened on that cliffside night. Mike wrestles with the idea that some stories end with distance rather than reunion.