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8

foxgroveNov 7, 2014

An upbeat and engaging gay coming of age story from Brazil that makes for an extremely entertaining 95 minutes. The unhurried style makes the developing romance between Blind Leo and new boy at school, Gabriel, very believable and absorbing.An upbeat and engaging gay coming of age story from Brazil that makes for an extremely entertaining 95 minutes. The unhurried style makes the developing romance between Blind Leo and new boy at school, Gabriel, very believable and absorbing. The story in no way feels contrived and the more intimate scenes are very sensitively handled. Only the depiction of the bullies comes over as somewhat cartoonish, but this in no way spoils a rather tender little film. The ending is lovely.… Expand

7 of 7 users found this helpful70

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10

sebastianglzNov 15, 2014

"The Way He Looks" has a simple and common argument like love; but the way Daniel Ribeiro handle this argument to tell the story about Leo, a blind boy who has never been kissed, is just amazing. The acting of the three principal characters"The Way He Looks" has a simple and common argument like love; but the way Daniel Ribeiro handle this argument to tell the story about Leo, a blind boy who has never been kissed, is just amazing. The acting of the three principal characters is amazing too, even the dialogue seems to be so simple. The themes showed in this movie, like love, first kiss and friendship makes this movie unforgettable, accompanied of Belle and Sebastian's "There's Too Much Love".
Ribeiro knew how to handle Leo's homosexuality, because he's not totally gay, he's just in love with Gabriel. Amazing story, hard to forget.… Expand

4 of 4 users found this helpful40

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10

MarkosviniDec 25, 2014

Melhor filmes brasileiro de 2014, uma pena não ter sido selecionado para melhor filme estrangeiro no Oscar, mostra a realidade da comunidade gay jovem, e o final e tão adorável. Quero continuação

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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9

pasbpMay 18, 2015

‘“Goodbye," said the fox. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”’ ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Much like ‘The Little Prince’, you will‘“Goodbye," said the fox. "And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”’ ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Much like ‘The Little Prince’, you will not find the film ‘The Way He Looks’ featuring anytime soon in any Top 10 lists of the year or of all time.

It is not a critics’ darling. It doesn’t capture the zeitgeist and it certainly does not provide any groundbreaking insight about the times we live in. It is not a ‘Catcher in the rye’ nor a ‘In Search of Lost Time’. But it is a ‘The Little Prince’, concocted with the same deceptive simplicity and irresistible understated charm. And just as likely a target for the same misanthropic, highbrow bile as the latter is.

Its plot, an age-old story of teenage girl/boy/otherwise meets teenage girl/boy/otherwise. Its magic, telling it with inescapable charm and simplicity.

Seemingly reducing the complexity of the human condition to its most clichéd, over-simplistic denominator, what in reality this film does is finding the common humanity in all of us and bridging the gap by conveying it in a universally accessible language, that of emotions, sensations and of fewer words as possible; blasphemy for the supposedly more sophisticated masses.

The film is awkward, silly at times, and it revels in it. It comes to life when depicting with disarming sincerity and earnestness such moments of embarrassing unease. And embarrassing unease is the ultimate definition of being a teenager, if there has ever been any.

Sex hasn’t happened yet. Life hasn’t happened yet. You are discovering who you are, how your body responds to stimulus, which stimulus it prefers and how. You have never chartered these waters before, you have no clue what to expect and feel completely out of your depth. You are clumsy, all that you do and say is pathetic and all that surrounds and happens to you is silly and painfully awkward. And yet, you have never felt so alive.

A few babyish kisses in a foggy shower mirror. One fully clothed masturbation scene, angle wide focused on the eyes, the lips, the face, the touch and the thrill of discovering fantasy and pleasure. One lips-only hushed kiss. One fleeting glance at your loved one’s line of beauty. One climatic final embrace. The thrilling delight of speeding away down your street in your bike, holding the one you love tight, with a joyful abandonment that only youth and inexperience allows.

Let’s face it: Disney nowadays manages to squeeze in more action than this. And yet, ‘The Way He Looks’ stands tall as one of the most sensual pictures ever made. Nothing you see will arouse you. Nothing is overt, crass or vulgar. Its sensuality derives not from what you see but from what you experience. With its disarming sincerity and earnestness, the film pulls you in; you don’t observe as much as you experience.

Some films will provide you with the comic relief needed to manage the drudgeries of daily life and prevent you from falling down the perilous pitfalls you find along the way. Other films will provide you with a safe haven to let it all out, anger and sadness alike, by serving as a metaphor and ultimate validation of all the sorrows in your life.

But then there are films that by virtue of their artistry will fill you with a pervasive sense that irrespective of the reality that you are facing, you will ultimately prevail in some form or the other and will still be able to somehow take a small measure of joy from what surrounds you. Such films will not necessarily give you profound insights about life and your existence, nor will they open your eyes to new ways of being and doing, nor will they invariably make you cry or laugh out loud. Instead, they will fill you with an unbridled, understated elation and an inescapable sensation of being at peace with life passing mercilessly by and you somehow still managing to take some pleasurable bits of it for your enjoyment. They will make it OK to be OK with life as is and its imperfections.

Nothing in this film feels false or formulaic, owing much to one of the most naturalistic and sincere pieces of acting to ever grace the screen, curtsy of its 3 main leads, Ghilherme Lobo, Fabio Audi and Tess Amorim. You will find it silly and unsophisticated. You will find it unremarkable and understated. And you also will feel hijacked by expectancy, as you see sincere love unfolding before your eyes. You will end up elated and uplifted. You will want to clap at the end and will be left feeling giddy for weeks to come. You will be a willing prisoner of its charm.

Just don’t forget to leave your misanthropic self behind when entering the screening room; you can always get back to it later. Give it a break.

That fox was on to something after all...

Oh and I lie. ‘The Way He Looks’ did indeed feature in Top 10 films of 2014’s lists. Joshua Bote, Terence Johnson, you legends.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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1

LowbrowCinemaNov 11, 2014

I love films too much to be writing such a poor review for this first film but THE WAY HE LOOKS is like watching paint dry. Actually, I painted my home recently and it was more exciting. THE WAY HE LOOKS is like an after school specialI love films too much to be writing such a poor review for this first film but THE WAY HE LOOKS is like watching paint dry. Actually, I painted my home recently and it was more exciting. THE WAY HE LOOKS is like an after school special without the insights.… Expand

1 of 15 users found this helpful114

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7

LeZeeJul 17, 2015

Some prince charming is not after the princess.

The Brasil's submission for the last concluded American Academy Awards, the 2015's Oscar edition and as we know it did not make that far. Again, one more movie in the list of 'based on theSome prince charming is not after the princess.

The Brasil's submission for the last concluded American Academy Awards, the 2015's Oscar edition and as we know it did not make that far. Again, one more movie in the list of 'based on the short film'. It also retained all the prominent cast and their respective roles for this full length feature. A teen romance-drama, a gay theme as well as a love triangle. Very light and softly narrated tricky romance theme and obviously suited well as a complete picture.

The story was told from the perspective of a blind high school student Leo. He and Gi are the friends since childhood. She's always there for him like a pair of eyes, a companion who walks with him home, only until a new student Gabe arrives. The things are starting to change around them and they begin to realise how much valuable to each other. What comes after is the crux of the story. The same old jealousy story, but from the fresh cast it looked so good.

"In our eclipse, Gabriel would be the
Earth and you, the moon."

A successful domestic box office, critically acclaimed film and the better ratings in all the online movie database, but to me it was just a good movie. The story had adorable characters and the love tale was told in a cute way, though that was not enough for me to get excited. No offense, but the gay theme was the letdown, that doesn't mean I'm against the gay. I loved 'Love of Siam' and 'Bangkok Love Story'. Maybe because I'm a straight, though I had no problem with the movies like 'Water Lilies', 'Yes or No' and other lesbian movies.

It's a crazy world, full of crazy people and their crazy romances. Whatever the format is, the love is always sweet. I liked this film's concept, if it was reversed from the gay to the lesbian, probably I would have loved it more. Or the story structure and character development in the first half should have been improved. Because in the end part, looked everything hurried and forced to conclude. Don't listen to me, you might like it, but be cautious, especially don't go after it with a great expectation seeing plenty of praise everywhere.

7/10… Expand