Keys to the Heart (2018) Review

“Keys to the Heart” Korean Theatrical Poster

Director: Choi Sung-Hyun
Cast: Lee Byung-Hun, Park Jung-Min, Youn Yuh-Jung, Han Ji-Min, Choi Ri, Kim Sung-Ryoung, Moon Sook, Hwang Suk-Jung, Lee Joo-Young, Baek Hyun-Jin
Running Time: 120 min.

By Paul Bramhall

Stories about washed up boxers have been around for almost as long as cinema itself, and the Korean movie industry is no exception. From Choi Min-sik in Crying Fist, to So Ji-sub in Always, and more recently Um Tae-goo in My Punch Drunk Boxer. A year prior to the latter, in 2018 Keys to the Heart hit the screen, featuring Lee Byung-hun in the role of a washed-up boxer who re-connects with his estranged mother.  

After his mother walked out of the family home because of her abusive husband many years ago, Byung-hun was left to mostly fend for himself, and grew up to be a promising boxer. However after striking an official during a match (a fact we only learn through an article he reads about himself in one of Keys to the Heart’s more reflective moments), his life has hit rock bottom, and now spends his days giving out takeaway flyers on the street. While drinking with a friend, by chance he meets his long-estranged mother who happens to be a server in the restaurant they’re in, and events conspire so that he eventually agrees to move in with her until he’s back on his feet. While there he meets his autistic half-brother whose savant syndrome means he’s a piano genius (and what the ‘keys’ of the title refer to), and gradually the family begins to reconnect and bond.

The directorial debut of Choi Seong-hyeon, having previously penned the scripts for the likes of The Fatal Encounter and The Negotiation, Seong-hyeon has brought on board some big names for his first time sitting in the director’s chair. The mother is played by Youn Yuh-jung, a legendary actress who debuted in Kim Ki-young’s 1971 classic Woman of Fire as the title character, and at the time of writing is enjoying high praise for her supporting role in Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari, which nabbed her trophies at the BAFTA’s and the Oscars (for which the former saw her acceptance speech go viral). In the role of the autistic brother is a near unrecognizable Park Jung-min (Tazza: One Eyed Jack, Time to Hunt), and Han Ji-min (Miss Baek, The Age of Shadows) clocks in an appearance as a famous pianist who Jung-min looks up to.

For those wondering based on the plot description, Keys to the Heart is about as commercial a piece of Korean cinema as you’re likely to find. The plot is classic K-drama material, incorporating the usual combination of tears, triumph, forgiveness, and of course that uniquely Korean trope – the terminal illness. It also feels fair to point out that there’s no boxing involved, with the exception of a humorous scene in which Byung-hun agrees to become a sparring partner for a much younger MMA fighter in return for $200, and proceeds to instantly regret it. In some cases a movie can suck no matter how much talent you have in front of the camera (see the likes of Memories of the Sword and The Drug King), and in others, the talent in front of the camera is able to elevate the material to be better than it probably deserves to be.

The latter is the case for Keys to the Heart through and through. Lee Byung-hun is one of those rare actors who exude charisma and screen presence no matter what they’re in, and here as a grumpy and pride filled has-been the role provides him with an opportunity to play a character we’re not used to seeing him portray. The same can be said for Youn Yuh-jung, who here was following up her lead role in 2016’s confronting The Bacchus Lady. While her character is predictably written, she brings a nuanced portrayal to the role and delivers a performance which makes it relatable, even when we’ve seen the type of role plenty of times before. 

Perhaps the most divisive performance will be that of Park Jung-min as the autistic brother. A couple of years after Keys to the Heart was released Hollywood would unleash Music onto the world, the directorial debut of musician Sia. The tale of an autistic young adult and the relationship she has with her sister, Music was widely derided and labelled as offensive for its portrayal of autism onscreen, casting a spotlight both on how the condition is used in cinema, and if it’s right for non-autistic actors to play someone who has autism. Jung-min plays the role as someone that’s highly sensitive, takes comfort in his smartphone, and tends to respond to almost everything with a “yes”. While in the context of the narrative his character (and therefore his condition) is endearing and offers up many of the comedic beats, I speculate if the lack of Keys to the Heart’s release in the west is down to avoiding similar controversy.

While the Rain Man-esque relationship between Byung-hun and Jung-min feels predictable (along with the relationship with their mother), the characters are well rounded and the connections they form feel natural and unforced. Where Keys to the Heart falters is in its approach to a side-plot which onscreen can’t seem to decide how much attention it’s supposed to have. Early on Byung-hun gets a little tipsy after one too many soju’s and is hit by a speeding car, one which happens to be being driven by Han Ji-min, who plays the famous pianist that Jung-min emulates (I know, what are the chances!?). We learn Ji-min’s character has disappeared from the spotlight, having herself been hit by a drunk driver months before which resulted in her leg being amputated. She’s part of an agency that want to pay Byung-hun off rather than have the matter taken any further, however the reasons as to why are never clearly conveyed.

As a plot device to have Jung-min meet his hero, and inevitably inspire her to start playing the piano once more, it works fine, but Seong-hyeon’s script keeps on hinting at more. Why is everyone around Ji-min so tense all the time? Why does Ji-min seem to have an axe to grind with her former piano tutor? These elements are introduced in what ultimately amount to throwaway scenes which don’t further the plot nor add anything to it. As a result Ji-min’s role is serviceable, but considering she clocked in the performance of her career during the same year with Miss Baek, the inconsistent focus on her character here can’t help but feel like a let-down.

Thankfully proceedings come together for the finale which sees Jung-min literally take center stage. Indeed while Keys to the Heart may sell itself on the relationship that forms between the 2 brothers, onscreen their bonding is really there as a catalyst for Byung-hun to reconcile things with his mother. As predictable as it is, the moments where they begin to open up about the years of pain they’ve suffered still manage to create a lump in the throat, and there’s not too many other movies in Byung-hun’s filmography that have him busting out the dance moves. Seong-hyeon goes a little overboard by including a scene in which Byung-hun goes to meet his incarcerated father (played by Hong Suk-yun – White Badge, No. 3), who comes across as a one dimensional villain with no remorse for violent past, but in a commercial piece of filmmaking like this it’s forgivable.

While there can be no doubting that Keys to the Heart is a light and easily digestible piece of commercial filmmaking, it does what it sets out to do with an amicable earnestness. As a first time director Seong-hyeon’s direction is admittedly pedestrian and lacks any real spark which indicate he’ll be a filmmaker to look out for in the future, but here he gets away with it thanks to Byung-hun’s performance and the cast that surround him. If it was any other actor in the role chances are Keys to the Heart would be written off as another unremarkable and routine entry in the Korean drama genre, but with a cast that anchor proceedings through an ensemble of stellar performances, ultimately Keys to the Heart turns out to be more than the sum of its parts. 

Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 6/10