''The Way He Looks'' ( pt, Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho, lit=Today I Want to Go Back Alone) is a 2014 Brazilian

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...

romantic

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

film written and directed by

Daniel Ribeiro Daniel Ribeiro was born in São Paulo on May 20, 1982. He is a Brazilian film director known for his works You, Me and Him (Portuguese: Cafe com Leite) made in 2007 and I Don't Want to Go Back Alone, I Don't Want To Go Back Alone (Portuguese: Eu Nã ...

, based on his 2010

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

I Don't Want to Go Back Alone ''I Don't Want to Go Back Alone'' ( pt, Eu Não Quero Voltar Sozinho) is a 2010 Brazilian short film directed by Daniel Ribeiro. The short won the 2011 Iris Prize. It was later expanded into Ribeiro's 2014 feature film ''The Way He Looks''. Pl ...

'' (''Eu Não Quero Voltar Sozinho''). The film stars

Ghilherme Lobo Ghilherme Lobo Putini (born 8 February 1995) is a Brazilian actor. He is best known for the short film '' I Don't Want to Go Back Alone'' and the film ''The Way He Looks'', in which he played Leo, a blind, gay teenage boy. Biography Ghilherm ...

, Fabio Audi, and Tess Amorim, reprising their roles from the short. ''The Way He Looks'' opened in the Panorama section of the

64th Berlin International Film Festival The 64th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 6 to 16 February 2014. Wes Anderson's film ''The Grand Budapest Hotel'' opened the festival. British film director Ken Loach was presented with the Honorary Golden Bear. The Golden ...

in February 2014. It was released theatrically in Brazil on 10 April 2014. The film was met with positive reviews from critics and audiences; both groups praised Lobo, Audi, and Amorim's performances, Kerchove's cinematography, the soundtrack, and Ribeiro's direction. It ranked as the 5th most viewed film in the country on its first day of release. The film won two awards at the

; the

FIPRESCI Prize The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...

for best feature film in the Panorama section and the

Teddy Award The Teddy Award is an international film award for films with LGBT topics, presented by an independent jury as an official award of the Berlin International Film Festival (the Berlinale). In the most part, the jury consists of organisers of gay a ...

for best LGBT-themed feature. It was selected as the Brazilian entry for the

Best Foreign Language Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

at the

87th Academy Awards The 87th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best 2014 in film, films of 2014 and took place on February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, ...

, but was not nominated.

Plot

Leonardo, a blind high school student struggling with independence, and his best friend, Giovana, are discussing how they have yet to kiss anyone. Leonardo is especially distressed because he doesn't believe anyone wants to kiss him. Giovana regularly walks Leonardo home despite living in the opposite direction. At home, Leonardo's mother worries over leaving him home alone. Leonardo insists he will be fine, and his mother agrees under certain terms. At school, classmate, Fabio, bullies Leonardo for the sound of his typewriter. A new student, named Gabriel, arrives and takes the empty seat behind Leonardo. Giovana expresses romantic interest in Gabriel, but classmate Karina begins to pursue him. Leonardo and Giovana become friendlier with Gabriel and he joins the pair on their walks home. One day, Leonardo walks home from school alone and Fabio and his friends taunt Leo, causing him to trip and fall. When he arrives home late to his worried parents, he expresses his annoyance over their overprotective nature. Later on, Leonardo expresses to Giovana his interest in studying abroad as a way to leave his overbearing home life, but admits that he has not told his parents about his plans. At school, Leonardo and Gabriel pair up for a project. The two go for lunch and then a movie. Working on the project a few days later, Leonardo attempts to teach Gabriel braille, but he finds it impossible, Leonardo remarks that him riding a bike is impossible. The boys sneak out one night to watch a lunar eclipse. On the way home, Gabriel realizes he left his sweatshirt at Leonardo's house and asks him to bring it the next day. Later that night, Leonardo goes to bed with Gabriel's sweatshirt on and masturbates. The exchange agency calls Leonardo about an American agency that specializes in blind students. The project results in Gabriel replacing Giovana as Leonardo's guide home, and she gets angry when they walk home without her one day. They wait for her the following day, but she ignores them. Leonardo finally confides his interest in going abroad to his parents and they outright disapprove. His father later addresses it privately with Leonardo, understanding Leonardo's interest, but is still not comfortable with it. The three friends go to a house party hosted by Karina. Giovana avoids Leo, still angry at him, and gets drunk with Gabriel, confessing that she feels he's replaced her in Leo's life and Leo wouldn't miss her if he went abroad. Giovana kisses him, but Gabriel does not reciprocate. While this is happening, Leo reluctantly joins a game of Spin the Bottle. When it lands on Leo, Fabio grabs Karina's dog for Leo to kiss. Giovana drags Leo out before anything happens, but does not tell him what Fabio was going to do. Leo is annoyed at her for what he believes is her interfering, furthering Giovana's anger at him before she leaves. Gabriel comes out after this, insisting that he take Leo home, but Leo expresses his anger at everyone controlling him and not even let him kiss anyone. Gabriel then kisses him and leaves quickly. The school goes on a camping trip and Leo sits alone on the bus, with Gabriel next to Karina. Gabriel approaches Leo at the campsite and claims that he was so drunk that he doesn't remember anything from Karina's party, including the kiss, which Leo doesn't discuss. Later on, while the class goes swimming at a pool, Gabriel helps Leo apply sunscreen, to which Fabio teases them about. Afterwards, Leo makes Gabriel wait with him at the pool while everybody gets cleaned up in the public showers, thinking that showering with other people is embarrassing. As they shower, Gabriel gazes at Leo's naked body and consequently becomes aroused. He quickly retreats to cover his erection with a towel and sits feeling embarrassed. That night, Giovana and Leo make up and get drunk together, with Leo eventually admitting that he is in love with Gabriel. Giovana is skeptical at first, but gives her support when they arrive home from the trip, urging Gabriel to go see Leo. Gabriel visits Leo at his house and when Leo asks if he hooked up with Karina, Gabriel admits she attempted to. However, he admits that he turned her down. Gabriel also confesses that it is Leo he is interested in and does remember their kiss after Karina's party. However, he has doubts about Leo reciprocating these feelings. Leo responds by kissing Gabriel. Some time later, the two present their project and walk home with Giovana, Leo on Gabriel's arm. Fabio and friends poke fun at the homosexual nature of Leo and Gabriel's relationship, not knowing the truth. Leo changes positions so he is holding hands with Gabriel, much to the shock and chagrin of Fabio's friends. The final scene of the film is Leo riding a bike with Gabriel perched on the back wheel, assisting him.

Cast

as Leonardo *

Fábio Audi Fábio Audi (born December 9, 1987) is a Brazilian actor and producer. Career He graduated in theater from the Superior School of Arts Célia Helena, and in cinema by the Armando Álvares Penteado Foundation (FAAP), both from São Paulo. He ...

as Gabriel * Tess Amorim as Giovana * Eucir de Souza as Carlos * Isabela Guasco as Karina * Selma Egrei as Maria * Júlio Machado as Professor * Naruna Costa as Professora * Lúcia Romano as Laura * Victor Filgueiras as Guilherme * Pablo Carvalho as Fabio

Production

The script was selected for the Berlinale Talent Campus - Script Station 2010 and was one of the three projects selected for the Rencontres Jeunes Réalisateurs of the Festival Biarritz Amérique Latine - Cinémas et Cultures (2009). The film was shot entirely in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

Music

Belle & Sebastian Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released eleven albums. They are often compared with acts such as The Smiths and Nick Drake. The name "Belle and Sebastian" comes ...

: "There's Too Much Love" * Cícero: "Vagalumes Cegos" *

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in pa ...

: "

Spiegel im Spiegel ' ( 'mirror(s) in the mirror') is a composition by Arvo Pärt written in 1978, just before his departure from Estonia. The piece is in the '' tintinnabular'' style, wherein a ''melodic voice'', operating over diatonic scales, and ''tintinnabular ...

" *

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

: Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat, D. 929, Op. 100: II. Andante con moto (The Gryphon Trio - Great Piano Trios) *

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

: "

Let's Get It On ''Let's Get It On'' is the thirteenth studio album by American soul singer, songwriter, and producer Marvin Gaye. It was released on August 28, 1973, by the Motown subsidiary label Tamla Records on LP. Recording sessions for the album took pla ...

" *

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

: " Modern Love" * The National: "Start a War" * Homemade Blockbuster: "Dance Moves" *

Dom La Nena Dominique Pinto (born 1989), known by her stage name Dom La Nena, is a Brazilian-born cellist, singer and songwriter. Her debut album, ''Ela'', was released in January 2013 (USA and Canada). Early life Dominique Pinto was born in 1989 in Porto ...

: "Start a War" (The National Cover) * Tatá Aeroplano and Juliano Polimeno: "Beijo Roubado em Segredo" *

Marcelo Camelo Marcelo de Souza Camelo (Rio de Janeiro, February 4, 1978) is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, and poet. He is best known as composer and lead guitarist of the Brazilian band Los Hermanos. Since the end of the band, he continues composing ...

and

Mallu Magalhães Maria Luiza de Arruda Botelho Pereira de Magalhães (born August 29, 1992), known as Mallu Magalhães (), is a Brazilian singer, songwriter and musician. Mallu first came to prominence through her MySpace page, becoming known for her own songs a ...

: "Janta"

Release

''The Way He Looks'' had its

world premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its f ...

at the Panorama section of the

on 10 February 2014. It was released in Brazil on 10 April 2014.

Peccadillo Pictures Peccadillo Pictures is a UK-based film producer and distributor of art house, gay and lesbian, independent and world cinema. They have provided distribution for many films such as ''Weekend (2011 film), Weekend'', ''Tomboy (2011 film), Tomboy'', ...

acquired the rights to ''The Way He Looks'' and released the film theatrically in the UK in November 2014.

Reception

Box office

In its first week of release in Brazil, the film debuted in 33 screens, and was the fifth most watched film of the week, with an audience of 30,209 people. Overall, the film grossed R$415,000 between Thursday and Sunday in competition with the release of '' Captain America: The Winter Soldier'', which was released in 1,107 screens. Along with the limited premiere sessions that happened in the previous week to the national release, the film was watched by a total of 31,209 people.

Critical response

''The Way He Looks'' received acclaim from film critics.

Review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

reported that 93% of critics have given the film a positive review based on reviews from 42 critics, with an average rating of 7.20/10. The site's critics consensus states: "Compassionate, emotionally detailed, and populated with resonant characters, ''The Way He Looks'' leaves a warmth that lingers."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

gave the film a score of 71 out of 100 based on reviews from 16 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Boyd van Hoeij of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' gave the film a positive review, saying that "Ribeiro has impressively fleshed out the material into a full narrative, with not only added conflict and a convincing gallery of supporting characters but also an entirely new focus on the quest for independence of the blind lead." Jay Weissber of the ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' remarked "Daniel Ribeiro's gay coming-of-age debut has an undeniable appeal... this is a gay story, done with tenderness and capturing the hesitancy of expressing affection when rejection can have ugly consequences." Roger Walker-Dack writing for ''Queertiques.com'', wrote "There is nothing at all extraordinary in the plot-lines of this wee movie, but somehow it has the most endearing quality that makes it so immensely enjoyable. There is a remarkable innocence to this group of young people who all seem never to have even been kissed, and even the inclusion of Leo's taunting by the bullies in his class has no hint of any real hatred. There are some really nice touches of humor and tenderness, none more so than when Gabriel insists that Leo learns how to dance. What does make it all so compelling is the captivating performances of the three young lead actors, particularly Ghilherme Lobo who was so pitch perfect as the blind boy." The film also received generally positive reviews from the Brazilian press. Raisa Rossi of ''Almanaque Virtual'' gave the film a positive review, saying "Hard not to be moved by such a light and true story, which nullifies any kind of prejudice. The compelling interpretations, especially Ghilherme Lobo as a blind kid, nice and smooth picture soundtrack and right round the merits of the film." On the Brazilian site ''Cineclick'', reviewer Roberto Guerra cited the film as "Flawless and sensitive under various aspects.... Few films, national or international, treat sexual manifestation of a teenager with much refining and subtlety is in the whole and not only in the construction of the dramatic character arc. Soundtrack, cinematography, editing and supporting cast work in subtle harmony, but always vibrant."

Accolades

Upon its premiere at the

, ''The Way He Looks'' won the