Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho (Portuguese) [The Way He Looks]

I was so excited when I saw that this cute short film (one of my favorites) has been made into a full length feature film. I was really curious to see what the makers can come up with when it comes to an entire length feature. Unfortunately, my expectations were not met completely. Don't get me wrong, it still is a fantastic film but can it match the humongous expectations that were set by the short film? Probably not! Maybe what the makers wanted to achieve versus my expectations didn't match  at a certain level. I was hoping the makers would focus on romance angle more (purely for selfish reasons), but makers tried to infuse the bling guy's struggle to be independent.

Leonardo is blind from north and is best friends with Giovana, who walks him him everyday from school. Leo is often picked up at school but he is used to it by now. The dynamics change after entry of Gabriel, a new student in the class who ends up sitting in proximity of Leo and Giordana. Gio probably likes Leo but can't do anything about it. She also wonders if Gabriel is interested in her. But Gabriel and Leo start becoming close friends. This is the first time Leo has found company in a male guy of his age group and unconsciously he ends up ignoring Gio in certain cases. She starts getting jealous of the close proximity between 2 guys. One night after a party Gabriel ends up kissing Leo but they don't talk about it anymore to avoid awkwardness. Leo clearly likes Gabriel but Gabriel says he doesn't remember anything and starts spending more time with another girl in the school. Gabriel also tries to make sure that misunderstanding is cleared between Leo and Gio, which ultimately happens. This gives Leo courage to tell Gio that he loves Gabriel. Initially shocked, Gio ventrally comes around and the film ends on a very positive note when it turns out that Gabriel has similar feelings for Leo.

You know as I am writing this review, I am realizing that barring a few issues that I had with the film, I pretty much liked most other things. Let's get over the negative first. There were quite a few scenes and dialogues where Leo wants to go to a different country and be on his own. His struggle to not always be helped but rather be independent. As a viewer I felt cheated because despite having spent so much time on discussing the issues, it was never given a proper closure. Although Leo riding a bike on his own in the end does show a sort of freedom that he gets. All 3 principal actors are simply terrific. Their performances are noting short of amazing and heart warming. The way these teenagers show emotions of love, jealousy, rejection, care & sensitivity is mind blowing. There is something endearing about the film that makes it worth the watch. The movie is very "go with the flow" and you feel a part of the film. Discussions between Leo's parents about their protectiveness for him were also handled with dignity and not pity. Actor playing Leo is superb. I was 100% convinced that he is blind in real life. Gabriel is so cute and adorable that I could eat him up :)

Complemented with a great musical score, this film is definitely worth a watch and highly recommended. (8/10)