''I Don't Want to Go Back Alone'' () is a 2010 Brazilian short film directed by Daniel Ribeiro. The short won the 2011

Iris Prize The Iris Prize, established in by Berwyn Rowlands of The Festivals Company, is an international LGBTQ film prize and festival which is open to any film which is by, for, about or of interest to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex a ...

. It was later expanded into Ribeiro's 2014 feature film ''

The Way He Looks ''The Way He Looks'' () is a 2014 Brazilian coming-of-age romantic drama film written and directed by Daniel Ribeiro, based on his 2010 short film '' I Don't Want to Go Back Alone'' (''Eu Não Quero Voltar Sozinho''). The film stars Ghilherme L ...

''.

Plot

Leonardo "Leo" is a 15-year-old blind high school student with his one friend in class, Giovana, sitting next to him. Seated behind Leonardo is the new student Gabriel. After class Giovana invites Gabriel to walk home with herself and Leonardo; she customarily links arms with him for support even though his house is further from the school than hers. Later Giovana teases Leonardo about never confiding in her about romance and suggests he receive math tutoring from Gabriel. Over time the three grow closer, walking home and playing games together. Leonardo becomes more self-conscious about appearance, asking questions about what he and Gabriel look like. Gabriel volunteers to take over escorting Leonardo so Giovana does not have to backtrack, though she possessively says that is not necessary. However, Leo happily agrees. A school project requires same-sex pairs, leading Leonardo to work with Gabriel instead of Giovana. During a more serious conversation about his blindness, Gabriel points out Giovana's attraction to Leonardo, but Leonardo says he does not reciprocate. After school one day, Leo links arms with Gabriel rather than Giovana, much to Gabriel's surprise and Giovana's chagrin. When they arrive at his house, Leonardo changes shirts in front of Gabriel, who is stunned before removing his own sweatshirt. Gabriel asks Leonardo where the bathroom is to brush his teeth, but Gabriel is standing in the doorway and sees Leonardo smelling his sweatshirt. However, he does not mention this to Leo. The next day in class, Gabriel tells Leonardo he left his sweatshirt at Leonardo's house but must leave school early for a dentist's appointment, and so will collect it the next day. After the other students have left, Leonardo admits to Giovana he is in love with Gabriel. Doubtful about the homosexual romance—and hurt because she has feelings for Leo as Gabriel suspected—Giovana does not provide a positive response before a sudden phone call summons her to her grandmother's birthday, leaving Leonardo to walk home alone with a

white cane A white cane is a device used by many people who are visual impairment, blind or visually impaired. A white cane primarily allows its user to scan their surroundings for obstacles or orientation marks, but is also helpful for onlookers in identif ...

. At home, when he hears someone come into his room, he chastises Giovana for leaving him and expresses his doubts about confessing his love for Gabriel. However, the visitor is actually Gabriel himself, who smiles to himself at this unintended confession before silently kissing him on the lips, leaving with his sweatshirt. Later, Giovana arrives while apologizing for taking so long. Leonardo is left confused and, after feeling around his room, discovers the sweatshirt is gone. He smiles at the realization that Gabriel was the one who kissed him.

Cast

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 ...

as Leonardo * Fabio Audi as Gabriel * Tess Amorim as Giovana

Awards and accolades

Feature film

In December 2012, the film's official Twitter announced that a feature film based on the short film, titled , which translates to "All of the Simplest Things", was in production, after over two years of fundraising and preparation of the script. Filming began and completed in early 2013. The film premiered in 2014.Official Twitter post on feature movie
2013-01-28. In September 2013, director Daniel Ribeiro announced the final title would be ', which translates to "Today I Want to Go Back Alone". Ribeiro reported, "Throughout the development of the movie a new plot element arose: Leonardo's independence. It's a naturally common theme in any teen's life, but specially in Leonardo's as, being blind, he's often overprotected by those around him, and he wants to do some things on his own, without depending on others. Therefore, the original title was no longer valid, after all "going back alone" became one of the main character's objectives." The official English title of the film is ''The Way He Looks.''

References

External links

Official website
*{{IMDb title, id=1687221 , title=I Don't Want to Go Back Alone 2010 films 2010 short films 2010 LGBTQ-related films Brazilian coming-of-age films Brazilian LGBTQ-related short films Brazilian drama short films LGBTQ-related coming-of-age drama films 2010s LGBTQ-related drama films Gay-related films 2010s Portuguese-language films 2010s Brazilian films