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Radius (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
2017 · 93 mins · English
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Directed by
Steeve Léonard, Caroline Labrèche
Starring
Kristen Sawatzky, Joe Cobden, Brett Donahue, Alicia Johnston, Bradley Sawatzky, Andrea del Campo

Liam awakens after a car accident, suffering from complete amnesia. Seeking help, he arrives in a town where he discovers the residents are all deceased, their bodies marked by unusual, pale eyes. Initially suspecting a contagious virus, Liam realizes the terrifying cause: anyone who approaches within 50 feet of him dies immediately. He must now navigate this deadly situation while struggling to uncover his identity and the source of his lethal radius.

On this page (6)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (12)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Movies like Radius
  6. 6 Every angle
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12 events in order · contains spoilers

Radius Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of Radius (2017) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Amnesia and crash wake-up

    A man awakens from a car crash with no memory of who he is. He flags down a passing car, only for the driver to die in a desperate swerve. He checks his wallet and learns his name is Liam Hartwell, realizing he has no idea where he came from or who he is.

    When
    Moment of waking / crash
    Where
    Roadside
  2. Diner discovery: all patrons dead

    Liam reaches a roadside diner hoping to find help, but discovers everyone inside is dead. He assumes the air might be poisonous and tents his shirt over his nose so he can breathe. He leaves the diner and continues toward town, unsettled and alone.

    When
    Shortly after crash
    Where
    Roadside diner
  3. Finding his house and alarming news

    Using a map and the address on his license, Liam locates his house. News reports mention possible biological warfare, prompting him to seal a window with tape. The sense of danger tightens around him as he surveys the quiet neighborhood.

    When
    After diner
    Where
    Liam's house
  4. Realization of a deadly aura

    From his vantage point outside, a farmer in the vicinity dies, followed by animals near him. Liam grasps that the deaths are linked to his presence, not a virus, and the panic settles in as he struggles to control what is happening.

    When
    Soon after sealing windows
    Where
    Near his house
  5. Jane Doe arrives with amnesia

    A woman also suffering amnesia comes to Liam's home, claiming she was with him during the crash. Strangely she can come close to him without dying, challenging Liam's understanding of his own condition. They decide to investigate their shared memory of the crash.

    When
    Shortly after
    Where
    Liam's house
  6. Crash site investigation and charred circle

    Liam and Jane drive to the crash site to search for clues. They uncover a charred circle on the ground, and Liam articulates a theory that the deaths are connected to his presence. A passing police officer confronts them and dies when Jane retreats from the scene.

    When
    During investigation
    Where
    Crash site
  7. Goat test and hospital plans

    To prove the danger, Liam uses a goat to show that nearby living beings die unless Jane stays within 15 metres. Jane had a CT scan after the crash, and they decide Liam should be tested as well, heading toward a hospital for evaluation.

    When
    Immediately after officer incident
    Where
    Rural road to hospital
  8. Hospital visit and escape

    At the hospital, a doctor confirms Liam is physically healthy, but the lingering fear of police separation drives the couple to flee. Jane hesitates for a moment at the elevator, while Liam steps inside alone, urges others to leave as the doors open, and eventually rejoines her as they exit together.

    When
    Shortly after arrival
    Where
    Hospital
  9. Jane’s identity revealed; Sam’s appeal

    A news report identifies Jane as Rose Daerwood, whose husband Sam pleads for her safe return. Rose persuades Liam that they should seek help, though Sam remains skeptical. Liam again demonstrates the animal deaths to prove their connection, while Sam recalls Rose’s disappearance while searching for her missing sister Lily.

    When
    After hospital escape
    Where
    Newsroom / public space
  10. Cosmic anomaly foreshadows the journey to the cabin

    On their way toward Liam’s remote cabin, they learn an unexplained cosmic anomaly struck Earth at the site of their earlier accident. They press on to the cabin, where Rose discovers hints that Liam may have abducted and killed her sister Lily, while Liam recalls an attempt to abduct Rose at the moment of the anomaly.

    When
    During escape to cabin
    Where
    Road to cabin / cabin
  11. Hostage confrontation at the cabin

    A man and his two adult sons seize Liam and Rose, and the father orders the sons to kill Liam. Rose chooses to separate herself from Liam, triggering a violent chain of deaths: the father and one son die, while the remaining son shoots Rose.

    When
    Climax
    Where
    Liam's cabin
  12. Final act: Liam’s death and Rose’s treatment

    Liam’s aura eliminates the remaining attacker, and he drives Rose to the hospital for urgent treatment. Rose is taken in for care as Liam, wounded by his own actions, shoots himself in the head, ending their intertwined destinies.

    When
    Ending
    Where
    En route to hospital / hospital

Last updated: October 09, 2025 at 15:58

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Timeline questions answered

Radius Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of Radius (2017): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

How does Liam's deadly radius work?

Liam possesses a lethal aura that kills any living being, including humans and animals, that comes within approximately 50 feet (15 meters) of him. This phenomenon was caused by a cosmic anomaly that struck Earth at the exact location of his car crash. The deaths occur instantly when someone crosses this invisible threshold, regardless of whether Liam is aware or intentional.

  • lethal aura
  • 50 feet
  • cosmic anomaly
  • death radius
Q2

Why can Rose approach Liam without dying?

Rose Daerwood (originally known as Jane Doe) is somehow immune to Liam's lethal aura. The movie establishes that she was in the car with Liam during the crash that caused the cosmic anomaly. Although the exact mechanism isn't fully explained, her presence within the radius acts as a counterbalance, she can safely be near Liam while others cannot. This immunity is unique to her.

  • rose
  • immunity
  • aura
  • jane doe
  • proximity
Q3

What is the cosmic anomaly that caused Liam's power?

The cosmic anomaly is an unexplained extraterrestrial event that struck Earth precisely at the spot where Liam and Rose's car crashed. This event fundamentally altered Liam's biology, creating the deadly aura around him. The news reports describe it as an unprecedented cosmic phenomenon with no clear scientific explanation.

  • cosmic anomaly
  • crash site
  • extraterrestrial
  • power origin
Q4

Why did Liam try to abduct Rose?

Before the accident, Liam was a serial killer who had already murdered Rose's twin sister Lily. During the cosmic anomaly, Liam attempted to abduct and kill Rose as well. Rose had been searching for her missing sister Lily when she encountered Liam, not knowing he was the killer. The traumatic event caused both of them to lose their memories.

  • abduction
  • serial killer
  • lily
  • rose
  • attempted murder
Q5

What happened to Lily, Rose's twin sister?

Lily Daerwood was Rose's identical twin sister who went missing. Liam, a serial killer, abducted and murdered Lily before the events of the movie. When Rose discovered her sister was missing, she went searching for her and encountered Liam, who tried to kill her as well during the cosmic anomaly.

  • lily daerwood
  • twin sister
  • abduction
  • murder
  • serial killer
Q6

How does the goat test prove Liam's theory?

Liam uses a goat to demonstrate that living beings die when they get too close to him unless Rose stays within approximately 15 meters. By showing that the goat dies when Rose isn't nearby, but survives when she is, Liam proves his theory that Rose's presence somehow counteracts or neutralizes his lethal aura, validating his understanding of the danger he poses.

  • goat test
  • radius demonstration
  • proof
  • survival
Q7

Why does Liam shoot himself at the end?

After Liam kills the remaining attacker with his aura and drives the wounded Rose to the hospital, he chooses to end his own life. This decision stems from overwhelming guilt, he is a serial killer who murdered Rose's sister, he has caused countless innocent deaths including police officers and bystanders throughout the movie, and he cannot bear to continue living with his curse and crimes.

  • suicide
  • guilt
  • ending
  • self-inflicted death
  • redemption
Q8

What is the charred circle at the crash site?

The charred circle at the crash site is the physical evidence of the cosmic anomaly that struck Earth at that exact location. This burned marking indicates where the extraterrestrial event occurred, fundamentally altering Liam's body and creating his deadly aura. The circle serves as visual proof that something supernatural caused his condition.

  • charred circle
  • crash site
  • burn mark
  • cosmic event
Q9

Why does Rose separate from Liam during the hostage situation?

When a father and his two sons take Liam and Rose hostage at the cabin, the father orders his sons to kill Liam. Rose deliberately allows the captors to separate her from Liam because she knows his aura will kill anyone who gets too close to him. By separating from Liam, she triggers the deadly effect that kills the father and one son, while the remaining son shoots Rose instead.

  • hostage
  • separation
  • cabin
  • killing
  • captors
Q10

Why do animals die near Liam but not Rose?

Animals, like the farmer and the goat, die when they approach within Liam's lethal radius. Rose is uniquely immune to this effect, possibly because she was in the car during the cosmic anomaly that created Liam's condition. Her immunity allows her to act as a buffer, enabling Liam to be near living things without killing them as long as she stays within approximately 15 meters.

  • animals
  • death
  • farmer
  • goat
  • immunity
  • rose
Q11

What does Liam discover about his past?

As his memory gradually returns, Liam discovers he is a serial killer who abducted and murdered Rose's twin sister Lily. He also remembers attempting to abduct and kill Rose at the moment the cosmic anomaly struck. This horrifying truth about his criminal past is what ultimately leads him to commit suicide at the end of the movie.

  • memory
  • serial killer
  • past
  • crimes
  • identity
Q12

Why does the police officer die at the crash site?

A police officer encounters Liam and Jane (Rose) investigating the crash site and approaches them. When Jane steps away from Liam to respond to the officer, she leaves Liam's radius unprotected. The officer dies instantly as he gets too close to Liam without Rose's neutralizing presence nearby.

  • police officer
  • death
  • crash site
  • jane
  • separation

Movie threads

More Movies Like Radius, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes Radius tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Movies like Radius with a deadly supernatural curse

Characters grappling with a horrifying supernatural power they cannot control. If you were captivated by the premise of Radius, this collection features similar movies where characters are cursed with a lethal ability. Discover other tense, dark thrillers and horror films that explore the heavy burden of isolation, tragic discovery, and the desperate search for a cure or an end.

  • suspenseful
  • isolated
  • melancholic
  • tragic
  • paranoid
  • grim
  • Tone: dark, tragic, grim
  • Pacing: steady, methodical
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The story typically begins with the protagonist discovering their lethal condition, often after a traumatic event. They must then navigate a world where human connection is deadly, embarking on a bleak journey to understand the origin of their curse, which frequently reveals a dark past and leads to a tragic or bittersweet resolution.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped together because they share a core premise of an involuntary, fatal power, creating a consistent mood of grim paranoia and heavy emotional weight. They blend psychological thriller elements with supernatural horror, focusing on themes of guilt, identity, and the crushing cost of survival.

Thrillers with amnesia and a dark past like Radius

A protagonist with no memory pieces together a horrifying truth about themselves. For viewers who enjoyed the amnesia mystery in Radius, this list features similar thrillers and dramas where a character's lost memory hides a terrible secret. Explore movies that build suspense around self-discovery, where the protagonist's investigation leads to shocking revelations and a heavy emotional reckoning.

  • suspenseful
  • anxious
  • paranoid
  • tragic
  • melancholic
  • mysterious
  • Tone: dark, suspenseful, tragic
  • Pacing: steady, investigative
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows an amnesiac protagonist as they follow clues to recover their memory. The investigation is often paralleled with an external threat or mystery. The central twist is the revelation that the protagonist was directly responsible for the tragedy unfolding around them, leading to a climax centered on guilt, atonement, or self-destruction.

Why they belong together: These films are united by the compelling narrative device of amnesia used for dark psychological exploration. They share a steady, suspenseful pacing as the mystery unfolds, and a consistently heavy tone as the search for identity leads to tragic self-knowledge rather than salvation.

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Every angle

Radius (2017) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about Radius in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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