Fireflies in the Garden
2008 · 99 min · Director: Dennis Lee, Dennis Lee
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
A family with an abusive father, a sensitive son, and a mother out of her depth: we see them when Michael is about 12 and when he's in his 30's, a writer of romance novels, going home for his mother and sister's college graduations. We go back and forth between the two periods: when Michael is a boy, the pressure builds to the point when the thin thread keeping them as a family threatens to break, and there's a fight. During Michael's trip home, there's an unexpected death which prolongs his stay and brings to the light his relationship with his father, his aunt, and her young children. Michael's estranged wife joins them for the funeral.
Emotional fingerprint
Fireflies in the Garden (2008) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Sadness 35%, Empathy 25%, Anxiety 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Sadness35%
- Empathy25%
- Anxiety20%
- Love10%
- Melancholy10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Sadness, Empathy, Anxiety. Genres: Drama. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Sadness, Empathy and Anxiety. Its IMDb rating of 6.4/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 68/100.
How did it make you feel?
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Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Empathy
- Sadness
- Tension
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Tension
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Love
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion: Hope
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Empathy | Sadness | Tension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 2′ | Tension | 63 % | 48 % | 22 % | 62 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 7′ | Tension | 68 % | 52 % | 38 % | 61 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 12′ | Sadness | 70 % | 57 % | 53 % | 60 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 17′ | Love | 65 % | 57 % | 51 % | 54 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 22′ | Sadness | 60 % | 54 % | 48 % | 45 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 27′ | Love | 51 % | 37 % | 28 % | 36 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 32′ | Tension | 52 % | 34 % | 24 % | 34 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 37′ | Sadness | 65 % | 54 % | 53 % | 36 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 42′ | Sadness | 68 % | 64 % | 63 % | 40 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 47′ | Empathy | 65 % | 61 % | 50 % | 49 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 52′ | Tension | 71 % | 65 % | 44 % | 65 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 57′ | Empathy | 80 % | 74 % | 55 % | 71 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 62′ | Sadness | 79 % | 74 % | 69 % | 56 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 67′ | Sadness | 71 % | 63 % | 64 % | 46 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 72′ | Tension | 73 % | 60 % | 55 % | 60 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 77′ | Empathy | 75 % | 68 % | 55 % | 66 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 82′ | Empathy | 66 % | 63 % | 48 % | 54 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 87′ | Tension | 61 % | 55 % | 38 % | 48 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 92′ | Hope | 65 % | 51 % | 31 % | 35 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 97′ | Hope | 70 % | 45 % | 27 % | 18 % |
Cinderella
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Kadri — your film companion
AIAsk anything about Fireflies in the Garden. From the film’s own dialogue and FeelDB data, at your spoiler level.
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Young Michael Taylor
Ryne
Flight Attendant
Social Worker
Nana
Morgan Duncan
Details
- Directed by
- Dennis Lee, Dennis Lee
- Written by
- Dennis Lee, Dennis Lee
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 2008
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Country
- United States
- Genres
- Drama
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Sadness
- Data updated
Where to watch
Subscription
Free
Rent
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