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At the end of my film THE KEYS TO THE HOUSE, before the end credits, there is a dedication:
'In memory of Giuseppe Pontiggia.' In a pivotal scene, the female lead, Charlotte Rampling, reads Pontiggia’s book 'Born Twice' in French and recommends it to Kim Rossi Stuart, who plays Gianni: 'This story concerns us,' she tells him. Apparently there is no other relationship between the events put on the page by Pontiggia and the screenplay of the film written by Sandro Petraglia, Stefano Rulli and myself. It is notable that the novel (it really isn’t a novel in the conventional sense of the word) covers a time span of more than thirty years, and THE KEYS TO THE HOUSE takes place during one week; Pontiggia’s story is set in Milan and the film takes place in Berlin and Norway.
These variations could seem natural, even necessary, when a director bases a film on a novel:
we know that the problem of “faithfulness” between cinema and literature is a false one, and that the plot of a book can be respected and the substance betrayed. Or the exact opposite can happen. THE KEYS TO THE HOUSE, though, is not even “freely inspired” by the book (which is based on a true, and very personal story), according to a formula that often disallows any kind of deviance. It isn’t even mentioned in the credits. And, out of respect for Pontiggia and his readers, we felt it right to find a new title, even though the original one was very effective.
How did the film come about? When Rai Cinema asked me to make a film based on the book 'Born Twice', I immediately realised that I wasn’t able to do it. In this case, more than on other occasions, I had the feeling of being an intruder in a difficult world which I had no right to enter. In a certain sense, I had to win this right at my own expense, to find in my personal experience something that would bring me closer to what the writer had revealed about himself with deep feeling.
The turning point came when I met Andrea Rossi, the boy who plays Paolo in the film. From that day on, the character of the son stopped resembling the real character from the book and took on another life, bringing to the forefront hidden emotions. Without realising it, Andrea gave us a new story to be told (even though the story wasn’t his), and then he guided me during shooting, letting me 'look at him' as he revealed his inner thoughts to me.
Giuseppe Pontiggia understood before anyone else that this was the only road to take in order to respect the meaning of his book. He understood that his pages didn’t need to be illustrated, all that was needed was for someone to grab his 'baton' and continue to carry it along. So I took the risk, as presumptuous as it may seem, of 'putting myself in his shoes' and began to tell the story anew. The result is that now there is a book and a film that follow parallel paths and maybe complement each other; that Andrea Pontiggia and Andrea Rossi - so distant in age and personal history - are the two sides of Paolo.
I am grateful to Pontiggia because without his book my film would never have existed. I am grateful to him because - in spite of the fact that there are no connections to “events and characters” told by him - I took inspiration from his writing (and not from his life). Every writer knows that it isn’t enough to put a story together, because what has to come out of it is necessity and soul. This spirit is usually found in books, which, as in the case of 'Born Twice', have not been especially written for the silver screen.
The title THE KEYS TO THE HOUSE refers to kids passing from childhood to adolescence, when their parents let them come home late at night and open the front door without knocking; when they first feel grown-up. At first sight, the title might seem to take the wrong footing for a film like this, which tells of the impossibility of getting away from the paternal environment, about living without the protection of adults.
In the film, the young character Paolo raises his 'house keys' high like a trophy, a symbol of his strength, even though he can’t use the keys without someone’s help. Andrea Rossi, who makes his acting debut in the film, has problems similar to those of Andrea Pontiggia. Even though he doesn’t resemble him physically, he has the same 'unawareness' of danger, the same trusting cheerfulness and the same “joie de vivre.” Filming was a special event, thanks to him. Andrea impacted the filming in a good way, his irony cancelling out every problem, small or large, that is part of any film shoot.
Kim Rossi Stuart plays the father, a young, insecure man, who experiences his son’s condition as a condemnation with no mercy, like the black hole of his existence.
Paolo’s mother died in childbirth and Gianni ran away when faced with a son born with 'some problems.' Meeting Paolo now after fifteen years, when he is asked to accompany him to a Berlin hospital, makes Gianni feel afraid; he feels he can’t manage, and won’t be up to it. The film tells about their reciprocal discovery, love, resentment and their fragile hopes.
There is also Nicole, the central character, played by Charlotte Rampling. She is a strong woman, who gave up her own dreams in order to take care of a child who will never get well. The encounters between the two of them have no pathetic or sentimental overtones; they simply reveal the negative and positive aspects of their daily lives, the need to smile, the need to hang on forever.
In my work it often happens that one feels like a schoolboy on the first day of school. During the making of this film, I confess that I felt like a beginner, with all the anxiety and enthusiasm I had when I shot my first short films. But over the years I learned much about filmmaking and thus knew the direction to take.
The most serious mistake would have been humouring the narcissism of the movie camera, looking for a 'bit of bravura'. Yet this is a film of characters - actually of people. And all necessary means were used to bring truth to the foreground.
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