This intimately beautiful DVD cover impressed me among the disc sea two years ago, which made me buy it when my cinematic experience just shifted from blockbusters to other quality films.
At that time, I hadn't the slightest idea of Michelangelo Antonioni and Charlotte Rampling, but I was rewarded by my intuition.
Following the story of an once cold-hearted, immature father united with his handicapped son whom he left at his birth, this film depicts how the father and son got along with each other during the son's treatment.
The two of them lived all by each other in a paternal tranquility during the therapy days when Nicole, Rampling's character played as a mother of a handicapped daughter, walked into their life and shared with Gianni her feelings for her daughter.
That maternal relationship, as paralleled and yet quite different from Gianni's paternal one, is crucial for the self-realization of him.
As for the title, I'm more willing to interpret it as "The keys to the Houses"---to the house of Paolo's uncle, Gianni's guilty past; to the house of the hotel, the father and son's intimate present; to the house of Gianni's, the heart-warming and happy future; most essentially, to the hearts of the father and son. It was the son's choice. It was the father's effort. They wondered between all those doors, striving for a end-result.
As soon as Kim appeared first on the screen, I knew, "right now I'm watching the (not one of) most handsome man on the earth..." (Well, that's long before Brandon Routh came up with his superman. however, they are of different categories in which they reign respectively in my opinion.) Let alone the height, Kim's face is, judging from every angle, perfectly shaped and it has the magic to draw you instantly into the picture wherever your mind is wondering. That's been proved when years later I watched Antonioni's Beyond the Clouds in which a younger Kim with long hair was already capable of imprisoning my attention.
I think one can easily understand the awkwardness you get when confronting with a handicapped child who always wears the same seeming smile whenever he's angry or sad, not to mention he's your once abandoned son.
He's immature, not knowing where his hand should put to support a handicapped child or even a healthy one; he's delicate, bursting to tears when Paolo angrily wished to be sent to his uncle; he's withdrawn, never showing too many expressions on his face except Paolo did to him something quite silly...He gave this paternal character life.
The film is elaborately made in every possible aspect. However, without obvious climax and twists and turns, this story took me floating on the calm development of the plot and yet kept me consciously touched.
Surely this is not the first film about father and son or handicapped children, but the difference this film makes is that, instead of forcing you into the emotion with dramatic acting and moving episodes, it unfolds the feelings and daily interaction of characters as subtly as possible, making the story real and exquisite, like a documentary.
That's why no tear of mine drops during watching. However, I was overwhelmed and introduced into living in the story.
Usually I will write a review of exactly the same feeling as the movie conveys, but this time I didn't. I know, as for this one, it's too subtle to put into words. I didn't want to fail.
At that time, I hadn't the slightest idea of Michelangelo Antonioni and Charlotte Rampling, but I was rewarded by my intuition.
Following the story of an once cold-hearted, immature father united with his handicapped son whom he left at his birth, this film depicts how the father and son got along with each other during the son's treatment.
The two of them lived all by each other in a paternal tranquility during the therapy days when Nicole, Rampling's character played as a mother of a handicapped daughter, walked into their life and shared with Gianni her feelings for her daughter.
That maternal relationship, as paralleled and yet quite different from Gianni's paternal one, is crucial for the self-realization of him.
As for the title, I'm more willing to interpret it as "The keys to the Houses"---to the house of Paolo's uncle, Gianni's guilty past; to the house of the hotel, the father and son's intimate present; to the house of Gianni's, the heart-warming and happy future; most essentially, to the hearts of the father and son. It was the son's choice. It was the father's effort. They wondered between all those doors, striving for a end-result.
As soon as Kim appeared first on the screen, I knew, "right now I'm watching the (not one of) most handsome man on the earth..." (Well, that's long before Brandon Routh came up with his superman. however, they are of different categories in which they reign respectively in my opinion.) Let alone the height, Kim's face is, judging from every angle, perfectly shaped and it has the magic to draw you instantly into the picture wherever your mind is wondering. That's been proved when years later I watched Antonioni's Beyond the Clouds in which a younger Kim with long hair was already capable of imprisoning my attention.
I think one can easily understand the awkwardness you get when confronting with a handicapped child who always wears the same seeming smile whenever he's angry or sad, not to mention he's your once abandoned son.
He's immature, not knowing where his hand should put to support a handicapped child or even a healthy one; he's delicate, bursting to tears when Paolo angrily wished to be sent to his uncle; he's withdrawn, never showing too many expressions on his face except Paolo did to him something quite silly...He gave this paternal character life.
The film is elaborately made in every possible aspect. However, without obvious climax and twists and turns, this story took me floating on the calm development of the plot and yet kept me consciously touched.
Surely this is not the first film about father and son or handicapped children, but the difference this film makes is that, instead of forcing you into the emotion with dramatic acting and moving episodes, it unfolds the feelings and daily interaction of characters as subtly as possible, making the story real and exquisite, like a documentary.
That's why no tear of mine drops during watching. However, I was overwhelmed and introduced into living in the story.
Usually I will write a review of exactly the same feeling as the movie conveys, but this time I didn't. I know, as for this one, it's too subtle to put into words. I didn't want to fail.