The Way He Looks

A low-key story of first love, this Brazilian film centers on a blind adolescent named Leonardo (Ghilherme Lobo), whose narrow existence under the watchful eyes of overprotective parents and a longtime best friend, Giovana (Tess Amorim), is shaken by his emerging interest in independence. Seizing on the idea of becoming an exchange student traveling abroad, Leonardo's sudden restlessness is enhanced by a new relationship with Gabriel (Fabio Audi). Although the boys remain chaste and only talk about girls, an energy develops between them that looks like a tentative romance. Writer-director Daniel Ribeiro doesn't make that angle any more important than others in this tender tale, which is really about the disruption in Leonardo's life once the status quo of dependence on his family and Giovana (who is secretly in love with him) no longer feels like enough. Ribeiro deftly captures the familiar rhythms of a teenager's life, suspended somewhere between pushing boundaries and clutching for security in this film that features winning performances by the three young leads. Brazil's official entry for the 2014 Oscars, this is recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a cast and crew interview (26 min.), director Daniel Ribeiro's 2010 short film “I Don't Want To Go Back Alone” (17 min.), deleted scenes (15 min.), a behind-the-scenes featurette (10 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an engaging coming-of-age foreign film.] (T. Keogh)