Product Details

• Actors: Kim Rossi Stuart, Andrea Rossi, Charlotte Rampling, Alla Faerovich, Pierfrancesco Favino
• Directors: Gianni Amelio
• Writers: Gianni Amelio, Giuseppe Pontiggia, Sandro Petraglia, Stefano Rulli
• Producers: Bruno Pésery, Enzo Porcelli, Gianfranco Barbagallo
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English, French, German, Italian
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Lions Gate
• DVD Release Date: June 28, 2005
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0009A404I
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,494 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Keys to the House" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Gianni is reunited with Paolo, the 15-year-old son he has never seen; a son he abandoned at birth. The reunion is not Gianni’s idea – it is that of Paolo’s doctor who hopes the connection will benefit the troubled boy. Gianni experiences a Pandora’s box in Paolo, full of shocks and wonders, but the keys to one’s house are often the keys to one’s heart.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Film That Is Both Moving And Challenging, July 4, 2005

By 

Timothy Kearney (Haverhill, MA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Keys to the House (DVD)

The story of a father being reunited with a long lost son can do one of two things: bring us to familiar territory that is often hackneyed, or teach us new lessons about humanity. THE KEYS OF THE HOUSE does the latter.

The film tells the story of Gianni, a thirty something man who fathered a child as a teenager. The young woman died giving birth and Gianni decides never to see the child. Fifteen years later, he is married with a newborn son and learns that his son Paolo, who is severely disabled, would benefit from contact with his father and it is at this point the film begins. Gianni is surprised at how quickly he feels love for the child, due largely to the genuineness of Paolo, but in his first few days of meeting his son, he also begins to discover the complexities that will inevitably be a part of this relationship. At the end of the film we are left wondering what will happen to the pair, which could be a "happily ever after" scenario or abandonment.

One of the reasons the film works so well is due to the character Nicole played masterfully by Charlotte Rampling. Nicole is the mother of a child more profoundly disabled that Paolo. She supports Gianni but also is honest enough to share her conflicting feelings. She does a wonderful job at presenting a mother that both loves and resents her child and admires Gianni while at the same time being repulsed by him.

I cannot help but see how viewers will be moved by this film. Though the film is generally upbeat, there are no "feel good" moments in it, but the film doesn't need it. The character of Paolo whose goodness and heart are so evident throughout the film does what so many other films cannot do. Its honesty will challenge anyone, speaking not as a viewer unaware of the realities of people with disabilities, but as a brother of a person with Cerebral Palsy who has had to wrestle with some of the issues found in this film. It is a film I am glad to have in my collection and one I know I will see differently each time I view it.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So beautiful it hurts, February 18, 2006

By 

Bucky Beaver (Greensboro, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Keys to the House (DVD)

I did not know what to expect from this movie. Although the plot was outlined on the box, no words could describe what a profound experience this film holds for those open to its message. The beauty of this story is such that as the last scene unfolds your heart aches from what you have experienced.

The execution from all parties creating this work of art is flawless. The young man who plays Paolo gives one of the bravest performances I've ever seen. Kim Rossi Stuart's physical approach to getting to know his son is incredibly beautiful and compassionate. The honesty of his performance is astounding.

I feel a deeper since of compassion for others as a result of seeing this movie. It touched me as no other film ever has. I cannot express strongly enough how moving The Keys to the House is. It makes me so happy to see there are people left in this world that have the capacity of compassion for others to make a film that can forever change the heart of those who see it.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Keys to the House Open the Heart, July 2, 2005

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Keys to the House (DVD)

LE CHIAVI DI CASA (THE KEYS TO THE HOUSE) is a brave, humble, simple, eloquent work of art. Director and writer (with Sandro Petraglia) Gianni Amelio has the courage to address a subject that is difficult for most viewers and has created one of the more tender love stories on film. Aided by an incomparably fine cast and a fine cinematographer (Luca Bigazzi) and composer (Franco Piersanti), he has found a means to touch everyone with a story that, BECAUSE of its subject matter, gives more insight into the human condition than almost any other film to date.

Amelio begins his story quietly and progresses slowly, allowing the viewer to cope with the realities of the tale in a manner of comfort. In the opening scene Gianni (Kim Rossi Stuart) is meeting with Alberto (Pierfrancesco Favino) in a frank discussion about the status of Paolo (Andrea Rossi), the son of Gianni whom he has never seen, the child being born as his girlfriend dies in childbirth. Alberto and his wife have been caring for Paolo for fifteen years, loving him, admiring him, working with the fact that Paolo has cerebral palsy with he concomitant handicaps of distorted limbs but with a mind and heart completely normal. Paolo's doctor has informed Alberto that perhaps having Paolo connect with his birth father may aid his progress in walking normally and increasing his self-care. So at this meeting Alberto, regrettably, turns Paolo over to the hesitant Gianni, an appliances worker who is now married and has a new child.

Gianni and Paolo meet for the first time, board a train to Berlin for the best Children's Orthopedic Hospital available. Very gradually the two begin to learn about each other; Paolo wants to prove he is self-reliant, Gianni wants to prove he is an adequate caregiver. In Berlin Gianni observes Paolo's intensive physical training, finding the boy's strengths and qualities and need for love. While Paolo is hospitalized Gianni meets Nicole (the brilliant Charlotte Rampling) whose 20-year-old daughter Nadine (Alla Faerovich) is severely physically challenged: Nicole has devoted her life to being at the bedside of Nadine and shares with Gianni the truths about parenting challenged children. Their conversations are sage and realistic and enormously touching.

Gianni and Paolo begin to bond, to share their lives, to explain the fifteen year gap in their relationship, and Gianni agrees to fulfill Paolo's dream of going to Norway to meet Paolo's pen pal love Kristine. Along this 'road trip' the two ultimately face the idiosyncrasies life has offered each, they grow from each other and .... well, the ending is far too beautifully formed to spoil.

Obviously the easy way to make this film would have been to hire actors to 'mimic' challenged characters, but it is to Amelio's credit and for our good fortune that he has cast unknown physically challenged youths in the pivotal roles. Andrea Rossi as Paolo is a revelation: he gives the kind of performance that is at once honest and yet delicately nuanced. Both Kip Rossi Stuart and Charlotte Rampling are extraordinary, each playing their roles without a trace of bathos. This film does not stab for emotional response; it simply allows connection with a story about the importance of human love and compassion and family commitment. I cannot recommend a film more highly. Grady Harp, July 05