Fireflies in the Garden began shooting way back in April of 2007 with a cast that includes Ryan Reynolds, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Ioan Gruffud, Hayden Panettiere and Julia Roberts. The film was inspired by the title of the Robert Frost poem and written by first time feature director and student Academy Award-winner Dennis Lee. The film played the Berlin International Film Festival back in 2008 and has seen an international release to the tune of over $3.3 million. However, a stateside debut has yet to happen, but it is finally on its way.
The filmmakers finally secured rights to the film from Senator Entertainment and will now release the film independently in no fewer than four major markets on October 14, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and San Francisco.
Quoted in a press release that was just sent out, Lee said, “I am so pleased our film will finally get a theatrical release in the U.S. Anyone familiar with our story knows the road to this moment has been paved with challenges. It’s not lost on me how much care and determination it took to bring Fireflies to light. I am so grateful for all the support I’ve received.”
A synopsis for the film included with the release goes like this:
A closely observed exploration of the complexities of love and commitment in a family torn apart when faced with an unexpected tragedy, Fireflies in the Garden marks the feature directorial debut of Dennis Lee from a screenplay he wrote. Lee, a student Academy Award winner for his short film, Jesus Henry Christ, was inspired to write this semi-autobiographical family drama after his mother’s death in 2002.
To an outsider, the Taylors are the very picture of the successful American family: Charles (Willem Dafoe) is a tenured professor on track to become university president, son Michael (Ryan Reynolds) is a prolific and well-known romance novelist, daughter Ryne (Shannon Lucio) is poised to enter a prestigious law school, and on the day we are introduced to them, matriarch Lisa (Julia Roberts) will graduate from college — decades after leaving to raise her children. But when a serious accident interrupts the celebration, the far more nuanced reality of this Midwestern family’s history and relationships come to light.
Trailers for Fireflies in the Garden have been online for some time and I have included one of them below, however I expect we’ll get a better version quite soon.
