The Keys to the House DVD Review:

The mistake that many films have made over the years comes when the easy route is taken. Shortcuts to our heart are attempted and it may work for some, causing tears and sympathy, but it is a cheap approach. Often this approach includes the death of a child or a pet as a quick step to making the audience feel something. The other cliché often uses, or rather abuses, the mentally handicapped. The Keys to the House, the latest film by Gianni Amelio, takes the time to tell an honest and complete story. The emotional impact of the film is not thrown in the audience’s face, but instead an honest story is told which may or may not affect each individual by the end of the simple tale. For some this may seem boring, but those that are sick of the contrived and forced sentimentality influenced by box office reports, this film is bound to prove a plentiful bounty of truth.

Gianni has never met his fifteen-year-old son, after leaving him to be raised by his aunt and uncle when an unfortunate delivery caused the loss of his wife. The delivery also caused serious mental and physical damage to his son, Paolo, as well. Gianni is meeting his son for the first time in order to take him to Berlin for treatment. Paolo’s doctors believe that if the trip is taken with his father there may be some extra recovery to be gained. As Gianni struggles to relate with a son he has never met, he is also introduced to a world he has never known, filled with handicapped children and adults alike. In the hospital Gianni meets a fellow parent, a mother with a full-grown adult daughter. This relationship helps Gianni to see even further into the dedication of parenthood.

This is a simple story, and yet not a simple film. There are layers of meaning within the short trip that the father and son take, and the conversations they hold. At times Paolo shows extreme signs of rebellion, reminding Gianni of the fact that his home is with his aunt and uncle. These outbursts seem to be partially due to his handicap, but there are definite signs of teenage rebellion against a parent that abandoned him as well. It is a beautiful film, though not one that I would have an easy time recommending to casual filmgoers. It is a foreign film, subtitled and character driven, a style which many viewers may not be used to.

While the video and audio transfer seems great for this film, there are many other problems with the DVD. The subtitles seem to be off, often coming up at awkward points, leaving silence in strange places so that it is difficult to decipher what is being said where. There are also a few things left out, making some scenes hard to follow. There are no real features, except for trailers for other Lions Gate releases. The DVD menu is bare and rather dull as well. That being said, the artwork on the disc is fantastic. If only the rest of the package had been given the same treatment.



Ryan Izay