Keys to the Heart is a 2023 Netflix film starring Zanjoe Marudo, Elijah Canlas, Dolly De Leon, Michelle Dee, Tirso Cruz III, Carlo Tarobal, Katya Santos, Athlea Pinzon, Lao Rodriguez, Mark Striegl and Bart Guingona. The Filipino movie is directed by Kewrin Go. The Netflix film is a remake of a 2018 South Korean film of the same name, which starred Lee Byung-hun, Youn Yuh-jung and Park Jeong-min. The runtime of the new movie is 102 minutes. The movie has English subtitles and is also dubbed.
Keys to the Heart Netflix Movie Review Contains Mild Spoilers
Keys to the Heart Review: Plot Summary and Discussion
In Netflix’s Keys to the Heart, Joma, played by Zanjoi Marudo, is a failed boxer who works at the gym and is estranged from his family. His mother Sylvia (Dolly De Leon) and autistic brother Jayjay (Elijah Canlas) live together. Circumstances make Joma live with his long-lost family, and we see him building connections he never thought he needed.
Movies about families or reunions are touching if done right. The 2018 Keys to the Heart stirred many emotions, and hence, there’s a remake for the same in Filipino. But is the remake a good watch? Sadly, only in some parts.
The first 20 minutes introduce us to Sylvia and her son Jayjay, who live together in a simple rented house. Jayjay is autistic and a great piano player with no formal training. On the other hand, Joma, who is out and away and has the freedom to do anything he can, fails to make it as a boxer. One night, Joma meets with an accident, and Sylvia requests her son to live with them till he feels okay. Hesitantly, Joma agrees, and the next hour focuses on how he gets to know his family better and realises what he’s missing out on.
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The 2023 film Keys to the Heart is a comedy-drama, but only a few comical and emotional scenes capture your attention. The humour doesn’t always land, but familial sentiments sometimes move you. One of the most heartwarming scenes is where they all have food at a restaurant and get pics clicked like they have a strong bond. It follows with another special moment.
Joma and Jayjay initially have a distant equation for obvious reasons. But their bond strengthens as the story progresses, and they spend more time together. Joma’s alienating behaviour towards his brother slowly turns into care and affection. But these are just a few moments the movie shines. The climax scene, which could’ve been the most memorable aspect, gets distracted by other people’s drama. A street scene between the brothers is very uncomfortable to watch and kills the innocence of Jayjay’s character.
Coming to performances, Zanjoe Marudo phenomenally plays an unbothered and emotionally distant son and brother, Joma. Marudo balances the initial rigidity and the gradual softness of his character. Elijah Canlas gets into the skin of his character. The actor is a delight to watch when Jayjay plays the piano. The rest of the cast plays their part well.
Keys to the Heart Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, Keys to the Heart rarely has any endearing moments that leave you in awe. It doesn’t invest us much in the story as we know it will have a happy ending. The humour element is weak, and some scenes don’t evoke the gratifying emotions the makers intended to. The scene where Jayjay defecates on the street is used for a comical aspect. Seeing the treatment given to his character in that scene is disturbing. The performances are sincere, but plain storytelling often overpowers.
The movie is now streaming on Netflix.
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