River’s Edge 2018
Directed by
Isao Yukisada
Made by
Kino Films
River’s Edge Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for River’s Edge (2018). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
In Northern California, a chilling moment opens the story as a pre-teen named Tim tips his sister’s doll into a river, catching sight of a teenager named John smoking nearby beside the lifeless body of his girlfriend Jamie. Not long after, Tim roams a convenience store and, while John is denied a beer for being underage, Tim slips two cans of Olde English 800 into his pockets. John steps out to start his car, only to discover Tim has left the beer cans on the front seat, a small act with big consequences. Tim then shadows John on a ride to buy marijuana, and when he returns home, his older brother Matt and their mother are combing the house for the missing doll. The arrival of Layne, a friend of Matt, sets the next step in motion as they head to Feck, a disturbed ex-biker and drug dealer hiding from the world after being wanted for murder. They purchase marijuana from Feck, and along the way Layne recounts a party from the night before where John and Jamie argued.
At school, Layne and Matt share joints with friends Clarissa, Maggie, and Tony. Matt dreams aloud about fleeing to Portland, a notion Clarissa dismisses. John arrives and declares that he killed Jamie; Clarissa and Maggie brush it off as a joke. John then leads Layne and Matt to Jamie’s body, a moment that unsettles Matt while Layne focuses on hiding the truth. The group later visits Jamie’s body with Layne’s older brother Mike driving, a grim reminder of the consequences rolling through their town. Clarissa later phones Matt, but he stays distant. Layne returns to the river and pushes Jamie’s body back into the water. When police activity sweeps near John’s house, the kids head to Feck’s, where John hides out for a time. Matt directs investigators to the river, where Jamie’s body is found, and the pressure of the cover-up begins to mount.
Back home, Matt argues with his mother and her boyfriend, and a grim moment follows when he sees Tim vandalizing the grave marker their sister made for Jamie. Enraged, Matt strikes Tim in the face. Tim seeks refuge with a friend, Moko, and they break into Feck’s to grab a gun, a choice that foreshadows more danger to come. In the dead of night, Layne, Clarissa, and Matt drive to Tony’s house, only to be chased off by Tony’s father with a shotgun. Layne contends with Clarissa and ejects her from the car; Matt accompanies Clarissa on foot, and the two stop at a convenience store where they unexpectedly encounter John and Feck. Tim and Moko break into Feck’s place again, this time finding marijuana, which they smoke before passing out.
Dawn brings new tensions as Layne and the others confront the aftermath of their actions: Matt confesses to Layne that he told the police that John murdered Jamie. Layne, in a panic, searches for John’s body, while Tim arrives with a dangerous resolve, pointing Feck’s gun at Matt and threatening to kill him for last night’s blow, though Matt manages to calm him. The police arrive, escorting the teens away as the town reels from the unfolding events.
In a hospital room after the chaos, Feck admits to killing John “because there was no hope for him,” and confesses to murdering his girlfriend as well. The community gathers for Jamie’s funeral, where the friends—grieving and stunned—face the final farewell to their classmate, coming to terms with what happened and the fragile line between guilt, blame, and memory. The film closes on a somber note, underscoring how grief, impulsivity, and secrecy collide in a small town, leaving behind a trail of consequences that none of them can fully outrun.
River’s Edge Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of River’s Edge (2018) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Opening: Tim's doll and Jamie's body
Two scenes unfold: Tim tips his sister's doll into the river while watching a teenage John smoke nearby beside Jamie's body. The sight seeds a sense of guilt and sets the chilling mood for what follows.
Tim pockets stolen beer
After the river incident, Tim roams a convenience store and pockets two cans of Olde English 800. John steps out to start his car, and notices the beer cans left on the front seat, a small act with big consequences.
Tim shadows John toward marijuana and returns home
Tim trails John as he heads to buy marijuana. When he returns home, his older brother Matt and their mother are already combing the house for the missing doll, heightening the sense that something has gone wrong in their world.
Layne arrives; Feck’s deal and a party recollection
Layne, a friend of Matt, joins the plan as they head to Feck, a disturbed ex-biker and drug dealer. They buy marijuana from Feck, and Layne recounts a party from the night before where John and Jamie argued.
School scene: truth and a revelation about Jamie
At school, Layne and Matt share joints with Clarissa, Maggie, and Tony. John arrives and declares that he killed Jamie; Clarissa and Maggie brush it off as a joke. John then leads Layne and Matt to Jamie’s body, a moment that unsettles Matt while Layne focuses on hiding the truth.
Visit to Jamie’s body and the concealment grows
The group later visits Jamie’s body with Layne’s older brother Mike driving, a grim reminder of the consequences rolling through their town. Clarissa phones Matt, but he stays distant as the truth remains buried.
Layne returns to the river and the cover-up tightens
Layne returns to the river and pushes Jamie’s body back into the water, deepening the cover-up. As police activity swells near John’s house, the teens retreat to Feck’s to hide from the scrutiny.
Investigations point to the river; family tensions rise
Matt directs investigators to the river, and Jamie’s body is found, amplifying the town’s tension and guilt. Back home, Matt argues with his mother and her boyfriend, adding to the mounting family strain.
Grave marker vandalism and a dangerous plan
Tim vandalizes the grave marker their sister made for Jamie, and Matt strikes him in anger. Tim then seeks refuge with his friend Moko, and they break into Feck’s to grab a gun, foreshadowing further danger.
Night drive, Tony’s house, and store encounter
In a tense late-night drive, Layne, Clarissa, and Matt head toward Tony’s house but are chased off by Tony’s shotgun-wielding father. Layne ejects Clarissa from the car; Matt and Clarissa continue on foot and stop at a convenience store where they unexpectedly encounter John and Feck.
Feck’s break-in and a smoky aftermath
Tim and Moko break into Feck’s again, finding marijuana. They smoke it and then pass out, letting the events simmer as dawn approaches and uncertainty lingers.
Dawn confrontations and a gun in play
Dawn brings renewed tension as Layne and the others confront the aftermath: Matt confesses to Layne that he told the police John murdered Jamie. Layne panics and searches for John’s body, while Tim arrives with Feck’s gun, threatening to kill Matt before Matt manages to calm him. Police arrive and escort the teens away as the town reels.
Feck’s confession and a crowded hospital room
In a hospital room, Feck admits to killing John 'because there was no hope for him,' and confesses to murdering his girlfriend as well, underscoring the brutal consequences of the night’s actions.
Jamie’s funeral and the closing gravity
The community gathers for Jamie’s funeral, where friends grieve and grapple with guilt, memory, and the fragile line between innocence and responsibility. The film closes on a somber note, highlighting how grief, impulsivity, and secrecy haunt a small town.
River’s Edge Characters
Explore all characters from River’s Edge (2018). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
Tim
A curious, impulsive pre-teen who stumbles into a sequence of violent events after spying a murder. He becomes entangled with older teens, his brother, and his mother, pulling him into a crisis that tests his sense of right and wrong. The story follows his trajectory from innocence toward a complicated adulthood by exposure to crime.
John
A reckless teenager who brags about killing Jamie and drags others into a dangerous aftermath. His actions set the central crime in motion and reveal the fragility of moral boundaries among the group. The narrative keeps his perspective as a volatile catalyst rather than a sympathetic figure.
Jamie
John's girlfriend whose murder serves as the catalyst for the town's unraveling. Her body becomes a focal point for fear, rumor, and the teens’ attempts to cope with loss. Jamie's absence haunts the characters and drives their moral decisions.
Matt
Tim's older brother, protective yet quick to anger. He becomes a flashpoint for family tension, clashing with his mother and navigating pressure from the police. His choices propel the investigation and reveal his struggle between loyalty and accountability.
Layne
A friend of Matt who recounts the party and participates in covering up the crime. His actions, choices, and later panic show how easily fear can drive people toward risky, self-serving decisions. He blends bravado with underlying insecurity.
Clarissa
A classmate and friend in the social circle who experiences grief and skepticism. She embodies the conflict between genuine emotion and emotional numbness that pervades the town. Her perspective contrasts with male-centered bravado.
Maggie
A friend who reflects the younger generation's sense of detachment. She and Tony observe events with a mix of curiosity and passivity, highlighting how audience-like detachment can accompany tragedy. Her reactions help delineate the town's emotional mosaic.
Tony
A fellow student and member of the social circle who alternates between curiosity and fear. His responses to the crime show how the community's youth navigate risk without clear guidance. He remains a relatively peripheral but telling figure in the aftermath.
Feck
A disturbed ex-biker and drug dealer who isolates himself from society. He becomes the violent counterpoint to the teens, admitting to a past murder and ultimately killing John; his presence embodies the town's dangerous underbelly. His actions force others to confront the consequences of living with crime.
Moko
Tim's friend who participates in petty mischief and later searches for a gun; he provides a street-level viewpoint on how youths cope with danger and boredom. His choices reflect the mixed motives of wanting to belong and seeking safety.
River’s Edge Settings
Learn where and when River’s Edge (2018) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.
Time period
1980s
The events take place in the 1980s, a period characterized by a blend of casual youth rebellion, social detachment, and limited media scrutiny. The era's suburban landscape and street-level drug use frame the characters' choices and the town's reaction to the crime. The setting emphasizes a sense of looming inevitability as adults struggle to manage the consequences.
Location
Northern California, United States
The story unfolds in a small Northern California town with a river running through it, a setting that amplifies teen restlessness and the town's hidden tensions. The community looks ordinary on the surface but hides violence and moral ambiguity beneath everyday life. The river itself acts as a chilling symbol for the loss of innocence and the marks left by crime.
River’s Edge Themes
Discover the main themes in River’s Edge (2018). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
⚖️
Consequences
The film centers on how violent acts ripple through a community, forcing characters to face accountability. Police pressure, confessions, and shifting loyalties reveal how fragile trust can be in a group of teens. The narrative uses consequences to explore guilt, responsibility, and the price of silence.
🤝
Peer Pressure
A quartet of teens navigates loyalty, bravado, and the pull to protect friends at any cost. Decisions are made collectively, often to avoid stigma or trouble, which deepens moral ambiguity. The story shows how group dynamics can normalize harmful behavior and dull individual guilt.
💔
Grief & Apathy
As characters mourn Jamie and cope with loss, detachment hardens into indifference in parts of the town. Grief becomes a shared but fractured experience, stirring quiet despair rather than direct action. The film uses this tension to critique how youth process tragedy in a world that feels devoid of hope.
River’s Edge Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of River’s Edge (2018). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In the quiet, river‑lined town of Northern California, a routine after‑school hangout is shattered when the discovery of a body on the water’s edge pulls a circle of teenagers into a tangled web of hidden feelings and silent histories. The river itself becomes a restless character, its murky currents mirroring the restless undercurrents among the youth who gather at its banks, each carrying their own unspoken burdens. The atmosphere is both sun‑drenched and shadowed, a place where the ordinary rhythm of high‑school life collides with the unsettling sense that something deeper, and far more fragile, is about to surface.
At the heart of the story is Haruna, a curious and empathetic girl who finds herself drawn to the enigmatic outsider Yamada, a reclusive classmate whose silence hints at stories left untold. Their tentative friendship begins to orbit a larger, more complicated triangle that includes the popular model, a charismatic figure whose effortless confidence masks its own set of expectations, and the girl whose quiet intensity translates into an unrequited love that lingers in every shared glance. As these four navigate the shifting terrain of attraction, loyalty, and rivalry, the river’s edge becomes a backdrop for whispered conversations and lingering glances, each moment charged with the possibility of revelation.
The film’s tone is a blend of brooding melancholy and youthful urgency, capturing the way teenagers balance the desire to belong with the fear of exposing their most vulnerable selves. Cinematically, the muted palette of the river’s fog and the stark lighting of school corridors emphasize the juxtaposition between the public façade and the private turbulence each character endures. In this world, secrets are as pervasive as the water itself—always present, sometimes reflected, and never fully still—inviting the audience to wonder how far the bonds of friendship can stretch before they either anchor or break under the weight of what remains unsaid.
Featured on this page
What's After the Movie?
Not sure whether to stay after the credits? Find out!
Explore Our Movie Platform
New Movie Releases (2026)
Famous Movie Actors
Top Film Production Studios
Movie Plot Summaries & Endings
Major Movie Awards & Winners
Best Concert Films & Music Documentaries
Movie Collections and Curated Lists
© 2026 What's After the Movie. All rights reserved.