Keys to the Heart stars share ‘personal connection’ to film’s autism theme
One of the salient themes tackled in Netflix’s Keys to the Heart is autism. The actors in the film shared that such a topic is personal to them because they have people close to them who are in the autism spectrum.
The movie, now streaming on Netflix, follows the story of a troubled boxer named Joma (played by Zanjoe Marudo) who moves in with his long-lost mother Sylvia (Dolly de Leon) and autistic pianist brother Jayjay (Elijah Canlas) — but must fit in with a family he hasn’t known for years. It also stars Michelle Dee as Annette, Jayjay’s mentor.
Keys to the Heart is directed by Kerwin Go and produced by Reality MM Studios, Creative Group 8 and Viva Films. It is based on CJ ENM Corporation’s 2018 film of the same title. The South Korean comedy-drama original version is helmed by Choi Sung-hyun.
In a roundtable interview, Zanjoe told The STAR that the theme about autism is something that he could connect with.
“I have a niece in that (autism) spectrum,” he said. “That was my inspiration while doing this film. I have a brother (in the movie) who has autism, just like my niece.”
“And also the (theme) about family, I could relate to that. The story is about dysfunctional family members who got separated and got back together. I think those are the topics that are close to me,” he added.
Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle also remarked that Keys to the Heart has a very special place in her heart.
When she learned about the role, she felt a deep connection to it. “I have two siblings on the autism spectrum. I advocate for autism awareness and inclusivity,” she shared.
“And when I got the role, one, I was amazed and proud because I’m sharing the film with such amazing actors and of course, Ms. Dolly de Leon as well. But when we started filming, and because I wasn’t familiar with Keys to the Heart also until I watched it, I realized that it can really spread a lot of positive awareness and education towards autism and inclusivity as a whole,” she continued.
“Like one of the things I advocate for is that all of these individuals even if they are on the autism spectrum, they have so much talent and purpose that… the world deserves to see.”
She firmly believes that the film can change perspectives and the narrative about autism, and get people to ask the right questions about the subject. “That’s what I really hope for. (And that’s) for people to just generally find more acceptance and love towards individuals on the spectrum.”
Elijah, on the other hand, said there are several topics about family that he could relate to. “I always feel like Keys to the Heart is the perfect Filipino film, especially now because it has everything. It has drama, family, sports, (and) music and I love all of that.”
“I am really passionate about that and aside from knowing someone and knowing a lot of people on the spectrum, being related to some of them, I just really wanted to put our heart into it and just portray it with a lot of empathy and just justify the script as a whole because it’s powerful already on its own,” he added.
Meanwhile, direk Kerwin admitted it was a tricky process trying to make the Philippine adaptation faithful to the original version.
“It’s very tricky when you’re adapting a beloved property,” said the filmmaker.
“As a matter of fact, when I first watched it, I did not know na (I would direct the Filpino remake)… It was Dondon Monteverde who offered me the project.”
“I watched the movie with my partner and now my fiancée. She is also the assistant director. While we were watching it, we laughed at the right places (and) we found the story to be very charming. (At) the end of the story, she was crying already. So, when I saw her (reaction), ‘OK, so, I guess we’re making the movie,’” he added.
In terms of adapting, what was most important for direk Kerwin was to make it fresh yet relatable for Filipino viewers, while keeping the essence of the original material intact.
“In terms of adapting, of course, you have to capture (the) essence but you have to make it fresh (and) also relevant for Filipino audience,” he furthered.
“So, there were certain things, certain scenes that we felt that we had to stick (to) as close as possible. But apart from that, it was really open to interpretation. And then, the producers gave as us lot of freedom to come up with our own attack.”
“I think this is very exciting because we stuck with (what) was the essence of the film, but we were also free to do it as we saw fit to create a Filipino version of it.
“So, you have a lot of Filipino humor there, the Filipino heart and, of course, we have the amazing Filipino actors in the film who made the characters their own.”
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