The Way He Looks (Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho) is a sweetly gentle coming of age tale from Brazil. Like most of the films in the genre, it is filled with clichés and stereotypes. However, it comes from a very real place, emotionally speaking. The teenagers ring true and in one aspect or another you may see yourself in them.
Leonardo is a fifteen year old blind high school student. We first meet him hanging out with his best friend, Giovanna, at her pool. They have known each other their whole short lives and consider the other their best friend. They talk of who will be the first person they will ever kiss. Giovanna walks Leonardo home from her house and school with Leonardo holding onto her arm. In class she sits next to him helping him out with anything visual. There are the typical mean boys who make fun of him, leaving Giovanna his only friend and caretaker, a job she cherishes.
Everything changes when a new boy, Gabriel, comes into their class and sits behind Leonardo. The three quickly become friends, hanging out at Giovanna’s pool and doing school work together. Giovanna tells Leonardo how cute she thinks Gabriel is and wants to kiss him. Giovanna becomes jealous when Gabriel walks Leonardo home after school without her. The mere appearance of exclusion can create drama for a teenager as young people have such raw emotions.
Leonardo fully understands his handicap but he wants very much to break free from the restrictions his blindness creates. His mom is protective, constantly reminding him to keep in touch via his cell phone. He is rarely allowed to be out by himself. When he stays out late, his mother scolds him, “Where were you? Out there in the dark?” Leonardo poetically responds, “It's always dark for me, mom.”
As a father of two grown sons I recognized Leonardo’s actions. He wants freedom but he also still wants his parents' help. I enjoyed the scene where he calls his dad into the bathroom, who comes quickly thinking something has happened to his blind son, only to discover that he wants his father to help him shave.
Things become complicated when Leonardo and Gabriel start to have romantic/sexual feelings for each other but have no idea how to express or even understand them. As a blind person, Gabriel’s looks mean nothing to Leonardo, making his feelings all the more pure. Gabriel discovers unfamiliar feelings for Leonardo in a shower scene where Gabriel’s body reacts to Leonardo’s body double. In another scene, Gabriel sums it all up with, “We have to say the things we feel. We can't keep it inside.”
Physical contact is kept to kissing as this is not that kind of film. This is about the discovering of one's sexuality, not the exploiting of it. At a party, Leonardo gets upset when he thinks Gabriel is there with a girl. Gabriel asks him what is wrong and Leonardo responds, “Because everyone keeps controlling me and no one wants me to kiss anyone, that's why.”
Being a blind gay teenager, Leonardo is a unique character but everyone can relate to his experiences. We have all formed new relationships and redefined old ones. The most important lesson in The Way He Looks is to discover and be comfortable with who you are. The gesture Leonardo makes at the end of the film is simple yet it brilliantly demonstrates his new level of confidence and awareness.
