Jump to content

The Keys to the House

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Keys to the House
(Le chiavi di casa)
Directed byGianni Amelio
Written byGiuseppe Pontiggia (novel)
Gianni Amelio
Sandro Petraglia
Stefano Rulli
Produced byElda Ferri
Enzo Porcelli
StarringKim Rossi Stuart
Charlotte Rampling
Andrea Rossi
Alla Faerovich
Pierfrancesco Favino
Edited bySimona Paggi
Music byFranco Piersanti
Distributed byLions Gate Entertainment
Release date
  • 10 September 2004 (2004-09-10) (Italy)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryItaly
LanguageItalian

The Keys to the House (Italian: Le chiavi di casa) is a 2004 Italian drama film based on the story Born Twice (Italian title: Nati due volte) telling the story of a young father meeting his handicapped son for the first time and attempts to forge a relationship with the teenager. The film was directed by Gianni Amelio. Although selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 77th Academy Awards, it was not nominated.

Plot

[edit]

Gianni (Kim Rossi Stuart) has left his handicapped son Paolo (Andrea Rossi) in the care of others since his birth. He has not been able to cope with Paolo’s mother’s death in childbirth or that Paolo has not developed like other children because of his handicap. Paolo is now fifteen and is about to meet his father for the first time. Gianni has been asked by his son's caretakers to bring him to a Berlin hospital for yearly tests and check-ups. According to their doctor, the "shock" of meeting his father could help Paolo in his treatment.

When Gianni boards the night train on which Paolo is already travelling, it is Gianni who is in for a shock. Paolo does not seem particularly impressed nor disturbed by this first meeting with his biological father. He seems more interested in his Game Boy instead. Gianni and Nicole (Charlotte Rampling) meet accidentally in the Berlin hospital and, even though he feels awkward and almost ashamed at being seen as having fathered "such a child", they connect. Nicole has spent her life caring for her daughter and could teach Gianni something if only he were willing to listen. Through a series of chance encounters aided by a book left behind by Nicole (Born Twice Italian title: Nati due volte, incidentally the book on which the film is based), they meet several times and get talking.

Reception

[edit]

Critical response

[edit]

The Keys to the House has an approval rating of 77% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 26 reviews, and an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Favoring subtlety over cheap sentimentality, The Keys to the House is emotionally honest, compassionate, and a genuine tear-jerker".[1] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 74 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[2]

Awards and nominations

[edit]

The film has won nine awards and fourteen nominations.

2004

[edit]

In the same year of its release (2004) it won four awards and one nomination in the Venice Film Festival:

Award Category/Recipient
'CinemAvvenire' Award Best Film

Gianni Amelio

Pasinetti Award Best Actor

Kim Rossi Stuart

Pasinetti Award Best Film

Gianni Amelio

Sergio Trasatti Award Gianni Amelio
Nomination Category/Recipient
Golden Lion Gianni Amelio

2005

[edit]

In the second year (2005) it won:

One award and six nominations in the David di Donatello Awards:

Award Category/Recipient(s)
David Best Sound (Migliore Fonico di Presa Diretta)

Alessandro Zanon

Nomination Category/Recipient(s)
David Best Actor (Migliore Attore Protagonista)

Kim Rossi Stuart

David Best Director (Migliore Regista)

Gianni Amelio

David Best Editing (Migliore Montatore)

Simona Paggi

David Best Film (Miglior Film)

Enzo Porcelli

Gianni Amelio (director)

David Best Music (Migliore Musicista)

Franco Piersanti

David Best Screenplay (Migliore Sceneggiatura)

Gianni Amelio

Sandro Petraglia

Stefano Rulli

Three awards and five nominations in the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists:

Award Category/Recipient(s)
Silver Ribbon Best Cinematography (Migliore Fotografia)

Luca Bigazzi

Silver Ribbon Best Director (Regista del Miglior Film Italiano)

Gianni Amelio

Silver Ribbon Best Sound (Migliore Presa Diretta)

Alessandro Zanon

Nomination Category/Recipient(s)
Silver Ribbon Best Actor (Migliore Attore Protagonista)

Kim Rossi Stuart

Silver Ribbon Best Editing (Miglior Montaggio)

Simona Paggi

Silver Ribbon Best Producer (Migliore Produttore)

Enzo Porcelli

Silver Ribbon Best Screenplay (Miglior Sceneggiatura)

Gianni Amelio

Sandro Petraglia

Stefano Rulli

Silver Ribbon Best Supporting Actor (Migliore Attore non Protagonista)

Pierfrancesco Favino

and two nominations in the Young Artist Awards:

Nomination Category/Recipient(s)
Young Artist Awards Best International Feature Film
Young Artist Awards Best Performance in an International Feature Film - Leading Young Performance

Andrea Rossi

2006

[edit]

In the third year (2006) it won:

One award in the Turia Awards:

Award Category/Recipients(s)
Turia Awards Best Foreign Film

Gianni Amelio

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The Keys to the House". Rotten Tomatoes. September 9, 2004.
  2. ^ "The Keys to the House". Metacritic.
[edit]