Every year, there comes a small Independent film that surprises in every way. "The Way He Looks," the feature film debut by Brazilian filmmaker Daniel Ribeiro is a lyrical, subtle and tender piece about first love.

The movie tells the story of Leonardo (Ghilherme Lobo), a blind teenager in search of independence. His everyday life, the relationship with his best friend, Giovana (Tess Amorim), and the way he sees the world changes completely with the arrival of Gabriel (Fabio Audi), a young boy from the country.

The beauty of the film is Ribeiro's subtlety as the narrative progresses. At the beginning of the movie, Giovana walks Leonardo home from school. This daily routine is repeated a number of times and then when Gabriel enters the picture, the three begin to walk together. The progression of these daily walks changes when they are assigned a group project. Giovana is left out of the equation and Gabriel and Leonardo begin to walk together. His daily routine also changes as Gabriel takes Leonardo to the movies and sneaks him out at night to see an eclipse.

This upsets Giovana and they begin to distance themselves as she begins to ignore Leonardo.

As the relationship intensifies between Leonardo and Gabriel develops, tension builds. Ribeiro makes this visible through his style of shooting. He uses the close-up to emphasize the emotions of his characters. For example, in the movie theater scene, he films Gabriel's voice in a close-up and later cuts to Leonardo's ear. This bring attention to Leonardo's attraction toward Gabriel. Later in a scene, Gabriel teaches Leonardo to dance. Gabriel's constant glances and their interaction gives off a sense of tension. Another intense moment between the two is during a shower sequence. Ribeiro cuts from Gabriel's reaction to Leonardo's naked body and then to close-ups of the body.

The moment that seals Leonardo's feelings is the sequence when Gabriel tells Leonardo that he forgot his sweater. When Gabriel discovers the sweater, he begins to smell it with intensity.

Gabriel, however, continues to be an enigma throughout the film as he seems unsure of his feelings toward Leonardo. At one point, he kisses Leonardo but then he is indifferent to him and hangs out with other girls.

The film benefits from performances from the three main leads. Lobo showcases vulnerability as the blind Leonardo. His eyes are seemingly expressionless and vacant, but still manage in the close-ups to allow the viewer to detect the emotion hiding in the darkness. His body language and vocal inflections are even more potent in expressing his angst and growth. His vulnerability is definitely shown in the ensuing arguments with his parents over their overprotection. However, it is even more present in one moment where he is all alone on the campsite. His lack of movement and facial expression demonstrates his sadness over the abandonment of his two friends.

Audi is very natural as Gabriel as he expresses the joy and confidence of being a teen. However, he also portrays the insecurities of facing his sexuality. In the aforementioned shower scene, Audi's face shows a young man who is at first comfortable, but once Leonardo takes his pants off, his expression changes. He looks down and then back up and he portrays shy young man lacking confidence for the first time in the entire film. This also shown when he reveals his feelings toward Leonardo. The confident movement Audi showcases throughout the film turns to nervous and shy movements. He sits in one seat, moves to another and then stands.

Amorim's Giovana also display the vulnerable state of a teen in search of first love. Amorim's eyes bring out a happiness to be her best friend but also hide that insecurity for not finding a boyfriend and constantly being ignored by all the boy's in her school. She never says it, but the viewer knows exactly how she feels about Leonardo.

When Gabriel arrives, Amorim's expression changes to become a bit coquettish and she smiles for the first time. During the middle of the film when her character fights with Leonardo, Amorim gives Giovana an even more weak state that is enhanced through a party scene in which she gets drunk.

The musical selections in the film are also a highlight. The film uses "There's Too Much Love" by Belle and Sebastian, which captures the lyricism and upbeat nature of this film while Schubert's Andante from his Piano Trio No. 2 is used in a dazzling dream sequence. Meanwhile, Arvo Part's "Spiegel im Spiegel" is used in a very meditative way in the scenes where Leonardo kisses the shower tiles and in the scene when he smells Gabriel's sweater.

Overall, the film is an uplifting movie. Many will label it as a LGBTQ feature but it is more of a coming of age story that demonstrates the difficulties of being a teenager and finding true love. Rather than having a bleak picture, Ribeiro brings forth the positives of teenage years

"The Way He Looks" is Brazil's Official Oscar selection and while it will face off against 82 other films, this is definitely a worthy contender.

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