Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Family drama remake has language, violence, bullying.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Keys to the Heart
What's the Story?
In KEYS TO THE HEART, Joma (Zanjoe Marudo) is a sullen and failing boxer. He's been fired from his job as a sparring partner at a gym. He has a job offer in Canada but no money to get there. Feeling sorry for himself and drunk, he's hit by a car driven by a former piano virtuoso, Annette (Michelle Dee), the daughter of wealth and a graduate of a prestigious music academy. Joma's estranged mother, Sylvia (Dolly De Leon), is struggling to raise her son Jayjay (Elijah Canlas), a gifted pianist who is on the autism spectrum. When faced with a terminal diagnosis, Sylvia goes looking for her older son, Joma, whom she left as a child with her abusive husband. She later explains she hoped to come for Joma once the husband was arrested or died. But by then she couldn't find Joma, leaving him to become the bitter, loveless, broken man we see today. Desperate to find a new caretaker for Jayjay, Sylvia shows Joma the genuine love she feels for him. He remains distant and angry, repelled by the difficult Jayjay, and unwilling to call his mother "mom." Slowly, he seems to warm to the family and agrees to take Jayjay to a piano competition, with the hope of splitting the winnings if Jayjay prevails. Will this family find the happy ending they seek?
Is It Any Good?
Keys to the Heart takes a while to get rolling, but once it allows its three lead performers to dig in, the audience is hooked. Elijah Canlas is a special standout, giving the audience the gift of Jayjay, an untrained savant pianist who plays with the feeling of a mature adult and the technique of a music student at the top of his form. The selection of music is also especially adept and emotionally on point. Chopin, Mozart, Satie, Debussy, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Tchaikovsky selections provide wordless moments of intense emotion. When a disabled former piano prodigy sits down after years away from her instrument to play a duet with Jayjay, who inspires her to love music again, their four-handed Hungarian Dance in G minor by Brahms is chillingly touching.
The real issue here is the utterly unmotivated transformation of a resentful, past-his-prime boxer into a generous and loving son and brother. The movie only works if Joma grows from a jerk to a decent man, but how he gets there isn't documented here.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way a mother turned to an estranged son during times of trouble. What does the movie say about the strength of family ties?
Joma seems to change from a bitter and loveless person into one who can feel and give joy. Do you think his transformation seems realistic? Why or why not?
Jayjay is neurodivergent. How do people treat him? How does the movie treat him?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : October 4, 2023
- Cast : Zanjoe Marudo , Elijah Canlas , Dolly De Leon
- Director : Kerwin Go
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 102 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 18, 2023
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