Keyhole

Keyhole

Year: 2012

Runtime: 94 min

Language: English

Director: Guy Maddin

DramaThriller

Ulysses Pick, a ruthless gangster and devoted father, returns to his family's mansion after years of absence, accompanied by a teenage corpse and a bound captive. His loyal gang awaits, still reeling from a recent violent confrontation with the police. As Ulysses confronts the mansion's unsettling secrets and navigates a maze of painful memories, he embarks on a deeper journey, seeking to uncover the truth about his family's dark past and the events that led to his exile.

Keyhole (2012) – Spoiler-Free Movie Summary & Plot Overview

Get a spoiler-free look at Keyhole (2012) with a clear plot overview that covers the setting, main characters, and story premise—without revealing key twists or the ending. Perfect for deciding if this film is your next watch.

In a remote, decaying estate that has watched generations rise and fall, a storm‑laden night brings a sudden, unsettling return. A weather‑worn mansion, its walls heavy with forgotten celebrations and quiet grief, stands as the only sanctuary left for a man who has spent years on the opposite side of the law. The house itself feels alive, its long corridors whispering of a past that refuses to stay buried, and the atmosphere crackles with a blend of dread and melancholy that hints at secrets ready to surface.

Ulysses Pick arrives at the threshold—a feared gangster known for his ruthless reputation, yet also a father whose devotion to his family still flickers beneath the surface. He is not alone; a bound captive walks beside him, and a grim, silent burden clings to his side, underscoring the weight of his long‑absent legacy. Alongside his loyal crew, who are still raw from recent clashes with the authorities, he steps into a home that has become a maze of memory and mystery, each room promising a fragment of a story long left unfinished.

The film drifts between stark realism and a dream‑like eeriness, allowing the mansion to act as both setting and character. Shadows shift, faint echoes of laughter and sorrow linger, and an unseen narrator hints at a deeper, almost supernatural tether that links the present to the family’s tangled history. The tone is deliberately unsettling, marrying gritty underworld grit with an almost gothic reverence for place, inviting the audience to wonder how far a man’s quest for truth can stretch before it dissolves into the very walls that surround him.

As the night deepens, Ulysses must navigate a delicate dance between the aggression that defines his world and the fragile bonds that still tug at his heart. The audience is left with a palpable sense of tension, curiosity about the house’s hidden layers, and the lingering question of whether redemption or ruin lies just beyond the next locked door.

Last Updated: October 07, 2025 at 13:30

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Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Surreal Haunted House Movies like Keyhole

Psychological journeys where a building reflects and distorts its inhabitants' inner trauma.Explore movies like Keyhole where a home is a vessel for memory and trauma. These films use supernatural or surreal elements to explore family secrets, grief, and the inescapable past. If you enjoyed Keyhole's atmospheric, psychological journey, you'll find similar themes of distorted reality in these haunting stories.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative in these films is often non-linear, unfolding through fragmented memories and symbolic encounters within a confined space. Characters are forced to confront their personal demons, which are externalized through the supernatural nature of the setting. The journey is inward, focusing on emotional and psychological resolution rather than a traditional external plot.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their shared use of a setting as a psychological mirror. They blend genres like drama, thriller, and horror, prioritizing a melancholic, dreamlike mood. The pacing is often deliberate, building a pervasive sense of unease and claustrophobia as characters unravel deep-seated trauma within the walls that confine them.

Slow Burn Memory Journeys like in Keyhole

Deliberate, atmospheric films where characters piece together painful pasts.Find movies similar to Keyhole that explore a character's painful past through a slow, layered narrative. If you were captivated by Keyhole's melancholic unraveling of family secrets, these films offer comparable journeys through memory and regret, often with a dark tone and a complex, non-linear structure.

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Narrative Summary

The plot follows a character, often an anti-hero, as they are drawn back to a place or situation that forces a confrontation with their history. The story unfolds not through action, but through revelation, with the past bleeding into the present. The climax is typically a psychological and emotional reckoning rather than a physical confrontation.

Why These Movies?

They share a specific mood and narrative approach: a somber, oppressive atmosphere combined with a non-linear, complex plot structure. The pacing is intentionally slow to emphasize the weight of the past and the difficulty of the protagonist's introspective journey. The endings are often bittersweet, offering melancholy closure rather than simple resolution.

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Keyhole Summary

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Keyhole Summary

Keyhole Timeline

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Keyhole Timeline

Characters, Settings & Themes in Keyhole

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Characters, Settings & Themes in Keyhole

More About Keyhole

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