''Keys to the Heart'' is a 2018 South Korean

comedy-drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

directed by Choi Sung-hyun. The film stars

Lee Byung-hun Lee Byung-hun (; born July 12, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He has received critical acclaim for his work in a wide range of genres, most notably ''Joint Security Area'' (2000); ''A Bittersweet Life'' (2005); ''The Good, the Bad, the Weird'' ...

Youn Yuh-jung Youn Yuh-jung (, ; born June 19, 1947) is a South Korean actress, whose career in film and television spans over five decades. Her accolades include an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a British Academy Film Award, an Independent Spir ...

and Park Jeong-min.

Plot

The story of a down-and-out boxer reconnecting with his estranged, younger brother who is a gifted pianist with

savant syndrome Savant syndrome () is a rare condition in which someone with significant mental disabilities demonstrates certain abilities far in excess of average. The skills that savants excel at are generally related to memory. This may include rapid calcu ...

Cast

as Jo-ha ** Park Sang-hoon as young Jo-ha *

as In-sook * Park Jeong-min as Jin-tae * Han Ji-min as Han Ga Yool * Choi Ri as Soo-jeong *

Hwang Seok-jeong Hwang Seok-jeong (born February 2, 1971) is a South Korean actress. She has mostly played supporting roles in films and television series, notably '' Secret Love'' (2013), '' Misaeng: Incomplete Life'' (2014) and ''She Was Pretty ''She Was P ...

as Department Head Kang *

Jo Kwan-woo Jo Kwan-woo (; born August 3, 1965) is a South Korean singer and actor. He debuted as a singer in 1994 and experienced great success with his second album, 1995's ''Memory'', which sold 3 million copies and is considered one of the best albums o ...

as Moon Seong-gi *

Oh Hye-won Oh Hye-won is a South Korean actress and model. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''Children of Nobody'', '' Designated Survivor: 60 Days'' and '' Dinner Mate''. She also appeared in movies ''Keys to the Heart ''Keys to the Heart'' ...

as Bok-ja's entourage * Baek Hyun-jin as Dong-soo * Moon Sook as Bok-Ja (Special Appearance) *

Kim Sung-ryung Kim Sung-ryung (born February 8, 1967) is a South Korean actress. After winning the Miss Korea beauty pageant in 1988 (she later represented her country at the Miss Universe 1989 pageant), Kim began her career as a reporter on KBS's showbiz new ...

as Madam Hong (Special Appearance)

Production

Principal photography began on June 6, 2017, and ended on August 27, 2017.

Reception

Critical reception

Yoon Min-sik of ''

The Korea Herald ''The Korea Herald'' is a leading English-language daily newspaper founded in 1953 and published in Seoul, South Korea. The editorial staff is composed of Korean and international writers and editors, with additional news coverage drawn from int ...

'' called the characters and plot "generic and predictable", but praise the acting performance of the film. Shim Sun-ah of ''

Yonhap News Agency Yonhap News Agency is a major South Korean news agency. It is based in Seoul, South Korea. Yonhap provides news articles, pictures and other information to newspapers, TV networks and other media in South Korea. History Yonhap (, , translit. ' ...

'' praised Choi Seong-hyeon for handling family relationships with the utmost sensitivity, and drawing good performances out of his actors.

Box office

According to figures provided by the

Korean Film Council The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) () is a state-supported, self-administered organization under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) of the Republic of Korea. History KOFIC was launched in 1973 as the Korean Motion Picture Promotion C ...

, just 3 weeks after its release, the film had surpassed 3 million viewers.

Awards and nominations

Music Pieces

The following music pieces appeared in the film: * Mozart Piano Sonata No.11 in A major 'Rondo Alla Turca' K.331 * Beethoven Piano sonata No.14 in C sharp minor 'Moonlight' Op.27-2 3rd Movement * Chopin Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor Op.11 3rd Movement * Brahms Hungarian Dance No.5 in G minor * Tchaikovsky : Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23

References

External links

* * * 2018 films 2018 comedy-drama films South Korean comedy-drama films Films about autism Films about pianos and pianists CJ Entertainment films 2010s South Korean films {{SouthKorea-film-stub