The Worst Film Ever

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Almost all of us gay guys love this movie. It's sweet without treacle, and sensitive without being patronizing.I think it resonates with us mostly because Leo--blind AND gay--represents the isolation many of us felt when we began hoping for a love connection. When you're young and gay and haven't yet worked up the courage to tell anyone, the isolation can be overwhelming. You don't know who is or isn't like you, you can only speculate. And you can only speculate in an oblique, round-about way lest you inadvertently reveal too much about yourself. Keen observation seems an essential skill.In this movie, poor Leo is already isolated because of his disability. And even though he has learned to navigate the physical world with confidence, the world of emotional connections is another thing altogether.So much of the way we figure things out is visually. Surreptitious glances or prolonged eye contact become clues to help us find our way. So our hearts ache for Leo who has to figure all this out from conversations or third-hand information. He even has to ask his best friend how she rates his appearance; he has no other way to find out if he's considered attractive. Can you imagine not checking your appearance in the mirror before you leave the house? Checking and re-checking? This is why we love this movie. Coming out is hard enough for we the sighted, and little Leo manages it in a world of total darkness. In so doing he wins our respect AND our love.

There are many conceptual films where upon viewing, one gets the sense that a) the same message could have been encapsulated in a short film or b) much more needed to be said and the characters further developed in a feature length. The Way He Looks (English title) is one of those unique endeavors where you could watch either this feature film, and/or it's short-film version "Hoje nao quero voltar sozinho" and be equally mesmerized and enchanted with the acting, direction, dialogue and overall theme. While the actors (thankfully, all the same) are much younger in the short film (shot 4 years prior), the message and intensity is still very much the evident, albeit on a much lighter and more whimsical scale. The feature length is definitely a lot heavier, in that it deals with some harsh subjects, namely teen angst and the potential for cruelty among adolescent youths, especially ones who prey upon the handicapped. Because of this, what the feature length "lacks" in innocence, it makes up for in "triumph". I'm giving this 9 stars because there is a bit of gratuitous nudity in the feature length film, which personally put me off since in my mind I was still thinking of these actors as "kids" from the short film and found it a bit exploitative. But truly, this is a masterpiece for all involved.

I'm not going to summarize the plot, since I assume those who have gotten to this page have already read the synopsis. What I came here to do, is to compliment the way this story is told. Small details that make all the difference, such as how Leonardo traces two of his fingers along the walls of his home to navigate, are ubiquitous in "Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho" and make the film feel very authentic. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the cinematography – and especially when it came to the muted colors and the framing and how the director didn't shy away from long takes. I also liked the editing. I don't really know what it's called, but they cut the film in a way that portrayed meaning. For example, Gabriel was talking about going to see a movie with Leonardo. After realizing Gabriel wouldn't be able to see the movie due to his blindness, he apologized and stated that he wouldn't make the same mistake again. After a couple of seconds, they cut to the movie theater where Gabriel is explaining what is happening to Leonardo. Had the movie been made by someone else, they might have made Gabriel and Leonardo have a discussion about actually going to see the movie and then follow them as they leave. To instead cut directly from Gabriel scolding himself, making the viewer assume they aren't going, to the boys sitting in the movie theater, makes a pleasant surprise and even though we don't know what happened in between the scenes we are still left with a feeling of what it might have looked like. There are several instances of this kind of editing in the movie, and it actually helps with the flow of the story and I'm kind of reminded of the famous lyric: "You say it best when you say nothing at all".Lastly, I'd just like to say how much I loved how tactile Leonardo and Gabriella were. How they sat outside the school, Gabriella touching his hair while Leonardo rested his head in her lap. How they would sit in his bed. It was very refreshing to see a guy and a girl being such good friends, and very touchy-feely, without it ever going in a sexual or romantic direction. Also, that final scene had me smiling from EAR TO EAR!

The movie was cute and well-acted. It reminds me of the After-School Specials on TV we used to have here in the States, in that it was lighthearted with some great acting and touching upon difficult subjects effectively without going overboard. I wish we would have had movies such as this when I was growing up. It would have helped a lot. Hopefully, it helps some young folks was they deal with a difficult time.I also thought of the British movie "Beautiful Thing" when I was watching this. That also dealt with teenage boys dealing with same-sex attraction as they deal with the already-tortuous teenage years. The direction was decent, perhaps just a bit uneven at times.