For the third time, this film still got me. I can’t remember the first time I watched the movie, but I’m pretty sure I sort of cried, as well, then. And at the third re-watch, I still kind of tear up, and smiled. The Way He Looks (2014) is not a tear-jerker. In fact, it’s the opposite. It’s a light and sweet story about three kids amidst self-discovery and friendship and adolescent hormonal changes. I just sort of cried because I do have many, many feelings.
The plot of this Brazilian film originally titled Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho (Today I Want To Go Back Alone) was simple. Leonardo (Ghuillerme Lobo) and Giovana (Tess Amorim) were childhood best friends, hanging out, and you know, talking about first kisses by the pool. Then came the new kid, Gabriel (Fabio Audi) with his amazing locks, and he shook the normal world that the two had. Although, “normal” is a relevant term, considering that Leonardo was born blind. Now, that should be the major conflict, yes? If this is another film with a blind lead guy, his blindness would be the main conflict to be resolved; but not in this film. Leonardo’s sightless life was the normality to him. He knew his way around. He knew how to go to school and back home safely. He touched himself occasionally, he wondered about kissing somebody—he even practiced kissing against a glass door. Being blind was so regular to him to he’s even bullied about it. Writer-director (and producer) Daniel Ribeiro made the right call to make Leonardo’s blindness a part of his character, and not his character. Though there was still the understandable amount of self-pity in Leo’s part, it’s mostly fueled by his teenage angst. Now, teenage angst, that’s the real conflict—at least, one of the conflicts.
While being blind is Leo’s “normal”, it was not for his overbearing mom and more chill dad. He was getting tired of being watched over, with his parents always hovering. He wanted them to treat him like the next kid, and not worry about him all the time just because he’s blind. In a situation caused by teenage angst, it’s almost always the teenager who’s being unreasonable and selfish. But in this case, Leo was not being completely irrational, though, he was being slightly rude. Why couldn’t he be treated as a normal kid, when he felt like one? See? Normal is a relevant term in this film. I decided to focus on this aspect because I find it really interesting, how Ribeiro crafted such a remarkable subplot. As I said, Leo’s congenital blindness was not his character. His story doesn’t revolve around it. But it did revolve around the new guy, Gabriel.
Like the past identical stories, it started with the harmless borrowing of something—a small interaction. In this case, Gabriel borrowed an eraser to Leonardo who apparently didn’t use one because he’s typing on this Braille machine. But when announced that there’d be a project done by pairs, and the two boys paired up, one could practically hear the gears grinding and sense the story unfolding. I should know; I’ve watched a lot of these. But I still couldn’t help but smile, especially when Gabriel played Belle & Sebastian’s ‘There’s Too Much Love’ that became the film’s main song. The first time, I was smiling so hard and was focused on the two dancing boys. During this time, I was, again, smiling so hard, but focused on the lyrics beautifully sang. It’s a perfect song as it foreshadowed how the story would climax.
Lobo was terrific in the film. It’s hard to react to an actor when one couldn’t actually look directly on the actor’s face. In Lobo’s case, to show actual blindness, his character was almost always looking at a downward angle, but he still managed to complement with the actor he’s acting with. One tiny thing that I also noticed: when being touched suddenly, Leonardo always jump slightly, startled. He couldn’t sense that there’s a hand coming; he’s perpetually being startled. It’s commendable how Lobo studied and actually became a blind kid for the film. Though not as memorable, Audi still acted remarkably. He was funny and sensitive. And so was Amorim. But I’d have to say that Lobo’s performance as Leonardo completely outshone most of the actors he’d been with.
Somehow, this film reminded me of Benjamin Alire Saenz’s Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Perhaps, it’s the way how Saenz and Ribeiro let the characters unfold their stories on its own. It was not forced; it blossomed. And with incredible writing and directing in Ribeiro’s part and the amazing acting by the cast, The Way He Looks (2014) became a refreshing and sweet re-telling of a story we all know by heart: a great romance.
Overall Rating: 10/10
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