When he was 19 years of age Gianni (Kim Rossi Stuart) and his girlfriend had a baby. After complications in childbirth cost her life and the baby was born severely handicapped, Gianni ran away, unable to deal with the consequences. Fifteen years later, soon after becoming a father for the second time, Gianni is reunited with his son, Paulo (Andrea Rossi) when he agrees to take him to a clinic in Berlin for treatment. It's not an easy trip, for Gianni is both embarrassed by his son's apparently random behaviour and his inability to come to terms with his own early rejection of the boy.
Neatly sidestepping any coming of age conventions or patronising its audience with trite meditations on disabilities, The Keys to the House is an emotional whirlwind of comparison, regret and gentleness. Wisely, director Gianni Amelio never tries to sugarcoat the issue, and he skilfully places the audience at the heart of Gianni's dilemma, allowing us to feel sympathy and occasionally indignation at the character's actions. His script may be spot on - an ill advised albeit brief, sentimental journey aside - but his trinity of central actors help no end. Rampling and Stuart bring a palpable vulnerability to their roles, while Rossi, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, is utterly transfixing.
