World Film Review- The Way He Looks

The Way He Looks is a 2014 Brazilian romantic drama, directed by Daniel Ribiero. The main character Leo, played by Ghilherme Lobo, is a blind teenager who finds himself falling in love with the new boy at the school, Gabriel. The film explores the themes of friendships and first love, all with the gorgeous backdrop of the Brazilian summer.

The film has a light feeling to it which is so uncommonly found in LGBT films, all too often these films end in tragedy but this was the exception. The teenage characters feel grounded, which is helped by the youth of the cast, something often missed in coming of age films, as they navigate growing up and the lows and highs of being teenagers. Pierre de Kerchove's cinematography is simple and understated but works well with the tone of the film, not big and bold but real.

My only issue with the film is that the main character isn't played by a blind actor, despite being blind. This highlights the issues with ableism in the film industry that aren't being addressed. But other than this, Lobo carries the film beautifully and whilst it isn't gripping all the way through, there are moments which stay with the audience, even after the credits roll. The bike riding scenes are the film in a nutshell, romantic and freeing.