“Where Fireflies Dance”

It can be tricky to create a romantic drama that’s believeble without coming across like a needy boyfriend/girlfriend starved for attention. Filmmakers will try to strike an emotional chord with the audience through realistic storytelling and relatable characters without coming across overly sentimental.

Where Fireflies Dance tackles the “lost and found” subgenre of the romantic drama. School teacher Sadie(Billie D. Merritt) returns to her hometown of Little Elm to help her aunt’s art gallery. Although we never really get to see her aunt or the art gallery, we are introduced to her former love, Jack (Brady McInnes). The two soon rediscover old feelings and hash out the emotional wake of Sadie leaving Little Elm and why Jack didn’t try to stop her.

All of the conversations (interrupted by the occasional smooching) are backdropped by copious amounts of country music and picturesque vistas of the midwestern US. Objectively, less music and more dialogue would have gone a long way to flesh out the characters. Fans of the musical genre may find it appealing but at times it felt more like a music video than a cinematic project. 

The sparse dialogue in the 70 minute runtime was spread among a variety of supporting characters. Charlotte(Colleen Mooney), Jacks’ sister(?), played a go-between with Jack and Sadie. Benny(Jason Ramirez) was reminiscent of “Jiminy Cricket”, giving Jack a mechanism to explore his feelings. Griffin(Deke Anderson) is part of a trio of characters that provided a modicum of levity.

All the actors did well in their perspective roles. Their competent performances aided in allowing the audience to feel engaged in the storytelling. While the cinematography was also very professionally executed, the cross dissolve scene transitions were a little distracting as the film progressed. I understand the intended dramatic impact of the editor/director but sometimes less is more.

On one hand, Sadie being played by an African-American actress felt like a sincere attempt at representation but on the other hand it might feel like tokenism since Merritt was the singular source of diversity. It would have been more convincing if the producers pulled a “George Lucas” by adding more diverse music selections like a song by Shaboozey. 

Fireflies is an indie production of an romantic drama meant to explore lost love with a country-western feel. With filmmaking veteran Grayson Berry at the helm, it’s a wholesome story great for date night or if you’re seeking a nudge toward rekindling an old flame of your own.