Both on screen and off, the shifting of time is essential in the telling the tale of “Fireflies In The Garden.”

The film, written and directed by Dennis Lee, saw its premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in 2008. While it later hit theaters in most parts of the world, financial difficulties shelved its US distribution for nearly three years, until it was announced last week that it will finally hit theaters in select cities on October 14th.

And so, American theatergoers will at last get to see the story in which Julia Roberts, in mostly flashback footage, plays mother to a boy that will become Ryan Reynolds, who appears in the film’s present-day shots. A sweet woman and caring mom, she’s plagued by her abusive husband, played by Willem Dafoe, who leaves the boy on the side of the road one rainy day.

Seventeen years later, now fully grown and portrayed by Reynolds, he is heading home for a family reunion when a car accident kills Roberts, who is aged up with heavy makeup (at 43-years old, to Reynolds’ 34, it’s a necessity). From there, the story is a test of blood and forgiveness, trust and anger, with three generations of one family doing their best to co-exist in the wake of so much damage.