The Way He Looks

This is a really fine film that is unusual in several gratifying ways. It is actually a story about the blossoming of a good and growing friendship into a physical as well as emotional love affair and is, in a sense, only gay because the two people involved are both late teenaged boys - fortunately for the viewer one aspect of gayness is attended to in that they are two quite handsome and adorable boys. However, the film, as the director says in a section of the bonus features, is about love and not lust, so the boys are beautiful but not fashion models. The relationship is not bracketed and set off as unique because the two people falling in love are both boys hence queer, hence troubled, hence afflicted and miserable through stress and fears of ostracism.. Rather, and in this it parallels the also excellent film Silent Youth, it is an exploration of how two unusual people fall in love, but is a tale told with the underlying assumption that there are fundamental, human similarities between this story and a lot of other types of love stories as well as. of course, also some interesting and unique aspects to the events recounted in the film. In this it perhaps reflects the growing realization by non-gay people (thank you 40 years of gay film makers, activists, etc.) that the preference for same sex plumbing doesn't make the characters freakish, doomed, or self destructive. The homosexual and gay dimensions of Leo and Gabriel's friendship aren't really an issue for anybody in the film but the poor, oafish chief bully from their school who picks on Leo and Gabriel throughout the film. Finding love is a quest for the characters, and that is symbolized by the search for an appropriate first kiss. But to add crispness and focus to the plot one boy is unusual because he is blind and blind from birth.Hence the question of what is involved by two boys falling in love and of what it means if one of them has absolutely no idea what anything, let alone a drop dead gorgeous best friend, looks like is important. Leonardo falls for Gabriel because Gabriel is a loving, attentive, and nurturing friend who helps Leonardo cope with his increasing frustration at the limitations his doting but overprotective parents place on him and the conflicts he has with the school bullies, etc. And, Gabriel is also a friend who clearly likes just hanging out with Leo. There some quite fine scenes where the camera observes Gabriel staring happily at Leonardo, who, as he is blind, has no idea that Gabriel is doing this. There is real pleasure in the eloquence and humor of the scene where one of Gabriel's earliest attempts to help his friend involves teaching him the rudiments of dancing.There are many other things to like, admire, and enjoy about this film; one of them is that, unlike many coming out films, the burgeoning relationship between the two boys is extensively depicted by scenes of their interaction that don't include a great deal of drama about the sociopolitical, personal, and psychological difficulties of coming out as gay. Mostly Leonardo and Gabriel are just two teenagers sometimes awkwardly, but always persistently, trying to get to know each other. And they spend a fair bit of time being happy together. While there is a set of oafish bullies they are annoying and humiliating school bullies, but not homicidal maniacs. Further,,a life of being gay suggested to me, and may suggest to others that the chief bully wouldn't mind having his way with Leonardo, but is too confused. repressed and dimwitted to even realize what his motivations are about.The film seems to me to be carefully crafted. In the bonus feature of the really fine original short film there is a scene where the blind Leonardo thinks he is talking to one character but is actually talking to another. The fact that Leonardo is falling for Gabriel is revealed by the fact that when he thinks he is alone he inhales deeply the odors of Gabriel's sweatshirt. So, when Leonardo is approached by the person who very much isn't who Leonardo thinks he is talking with, one could have wondered why he didn't recognize that the smell of the person before him wasn't the smell of the person who he thought he was talking to - but Ribiero had included a brief and immediately previous scene indicating that poor Leonardo has allergies that day so probably couldn't smell anything at all.The bonus features are quite pleasing. Ribiero crafts his scenes carefully hence the short film is as well put together as a good short story and every element contributes to the unfolding of the story and the final scene. The longer film is more like a novella and equally well crafted. All three of the central characters are played by quite gifted actors who clearly have acting chemistry and who create characters that aren't merely likeable, but are fully three dimensional believable human beings. An example might be the shower scene where Gabriel finally sees Leo totally naked and is made biologically aware that he finds Leo very much to his tastes. Fabio Audi makes the character Gabriel's distressing realization that he is in a public shower displaying clear evidence of strongly and definitely liking Leonardo in a lot of ways both touching, funny, and refreshingly free of any twee overtones that with a less committed actor, could have crept in. Perhaps unfortunately, a really pleasing prefiguration of this shower scene occurs earlier in the film when Leonardo asks his grandmother what Gabriel looks like and she says that he is so pale that he is almost transparent. This scene had been cut, according to the director, for reasons of pacing.. However, here Gabriel's activities make his inner life "transparent" or visible to the audience. But, as Ribiero points out in a bonus feature, he decided to remove it for reasons of pacing. Fun to see, in all events. Ghileherme Lobo is quite amazing as Leonardo. He is so convincingly "blind" that almost everyone that I know thought he was a blind guy who was a great actor. But he is a sighted guy who is a fine actor. The level of skills demonstrated by the three main characters and by most of the supporting characters is quite high.I liked the film so much that I bought the DVD, and probably many people will make the same choice.

A sweet, touching and insightful gay coming of age story.Set in Sao Paulo, this beautifully made Portuguese-language film not only examines Leo's newly discovered sexuality but also the complications caused by his blindness and a typical teenager's desire for independence.Director-writer Daniel Ribeiro has adapted his own short film "I Don't Want To Go Back Alone" (featuring the same three leads) into an excellent feature film. Light hearted but also honest and realistic and never treating the subject of Leo's disability flippantly, this flawlessly acted movie is a major achievement for all involved.Lead actor Ghilherme Lobo is extraordinary natural and poignant as the blind teenager and his performance is richly complimented by the fine portrayals by Fabio Audi as new pal (and now boyfriend) Gabriel and Tess Amorim as Giovanna, the best friend who suffers angst over the change in relationships.What also works so brilliantly, is the director's keen observation of Leo's interaction with his school activities (including being the butt of many a cruel prank), the sensitive relationship he has with his protective parents and the intimacy he shares with his more sympathetic grandmother.Certainly a feel good movie, inspirational and funny without being cloy and a film that should be seen and enjoyed by audiences of all persuasions.There are some excellent extra features on the disc--- the original 17 minute short which inspired the feature.--- many deleted scenes, all good and a few of which (especially the scenes between Leo and his grandmother) could have remained in the final cut. Director Ribiero gives potent reasons why they were deleted.--- a comprehensive interview session featuring the director, the two male leads and producer Diana Almeida.--- some fun and entertaining "behind the scenes" with the young cast.

There aren't yet many first-love gay movies with happy endings, but "The Way He Looks" has one, and it's great — really uplifting without being saccharine (for which I have a very low tolerance). Other reviews cover the plot, but I wanted to add my 5-star recommendation.All of the main characters are perfectly cast and very relatable. In addition to the engaging story, the soundtrack is great, especially the catchy theme song. The special features are also great, including well-chosen and well-narrated deleted scenes, and a short version of the film made 4 years earlier; both of these extras contribute significantly to the storyline and really enrich the experience. (The extras have English subtitles, and the feature film has optional subtitles in English and Spanish plus an optional English audio descriptive track.)"The Way He Looks" and "Beautiful Thing" are my 2 favorite movies in this genre, and both are among my Top 10 favorite films of all time in any genre.

'The Way He Looks' is a cute Brazilian coming-of-age tale from director Daniel Ribeiro. The story focuses on main character Leonardo, a young man with a love of classical music who has been blind since birth. His best friend Giovanna also features as they both navigate through the drama of high school romance, finding their independence and making new friends.It's not long before a handsome new boy named Gabriel joins their class and becomes friends with the pair. Leonardo, struggling with his overprotective parents, is placed with Gabriel for a school assignment and begins to hang out with him a lot more, going to the movies and sneaking out at night to watch an eclipse, despite not being able to see it. Gabriel also begins to see Leo safely home every day, a job previously reserved for Giovanna.Unfortunately 3 becomes a crowd and Giovanna starts to resent the boys spending so much time away from her, especially as it's hinted that she likes them both as candidates for her summer romance. Tensions reach breaking point at a classmate's party when Leo and Gi fall out over a misunderstanding. Leo also takes his frustrations out on Gabriel and tells him off, but the other boy shuts him up by kissing Leo briefly on the lips before riding off on his bicycle.Later on, Gabriel claims not to remember the party, but it seems as though something is developing between him and Leo. The rest of the film then deepens the relationships and resolves the conflicts between the triangle of Leonardo, Giovanna and Gabriel, bringing the story to it's sweet conclusion.The three main actors are superb and realistic, especially the actor who plays Leo as he isn't blind in real life, but manages to do the role justice. The story itself is often humourous but also genuinely touching without being too cliche, and some of the songs used fit the mood of the film perfectly. It's easy to see why this feature is so highly regarded and has won awards at international film festivals.The DVD includes some interesting deleted scenes and an interview with the director, along with the short film 'I Don't Want to Go Back Alone'. The short came first and was the source that this feature-length drama was based on, so it's also worth a watch.In summary: get this film, you won't regret it!

It is a sign of progress that a combination of a gay theme and a loss of sight since birth - most convincingly played by the young leading male actor,can be made into a skilfully and attractively made film for today's cinema audiences. Hollywood is somewhat behind in this area of story telling andeven its ground-breaking "Brokeback Mountain" had a foreign director at the helm. But that said, the recognition of gay characters and storieshaving some life-affirming qualities provides optimism for the future and films like this lead the way in style.

This is a very special fllm which tackles disability in a very real and tender way. It really demonstrates that true love and honest sexual attraction is common to all of us, not just the model types we usually find in gay films. Being blind, the main character reacts just as a sighted person would when faced with meeting an attractive guy. He feels, probably even more deeply, a strong sexual presence and responds accordingly.The film takes us through a variety of emotions and everything is done so sensitively that the end product is one beautiful experience. This is a must see film. The acting is outstanding, the direction top quality and the editing is excellent.Watch it and go on a journey which will leave you challenged and satisfied. Definitely five stars!

this began life as a short (15 minutes) film, which might have been slightly condensed, but which worked well.To stretch this out to a full-length feature film (and apparently the uncut version ran to 2 hours) meant introducing a variety of subplots, and some of these are not entirely convincing. The bullying of Leo is a new theme, as is his rebellion against his parents. These are not handled entirely convincingly. Although this film is very much worthwhile seeing, in many ways I rather prefer the original short version – which is also available on the DVD.The actors turn out an excellent performance, in particular the young man who plays Leo. Some of the lesser parts are less well handled.

This is based on the short ‘I don’t want to go home alone’ and has been padded out to 90 minutes (from 17) with some unpleasantness (bullies) etc. now included. I think I prefer the short but this longer film is still good (and to be fair is better in places) but not a total delight like the original imo.