Deu no The New York Times: Ghilherme Lobo and Fabio Audi , ‘The Way He Looks’ As the awards season approaches, overeager actors seem determined to show that they can act more strenuously than everyone else, as if the Oscar were just another trophy to be won by the competitor who sweats the most. In that overheated context, Ghilherme Lobo and Fabio Audi, the young stars of “The Way He Looks,” Brazil’s foreign-language entry to the Academy Awards, opening Friday, offer a delicate and welcome reprieve from the histrionics. Daniel Ribiero’s debut film is, after all, about a blind gay teenager’s coming-of-age, a subject that seems tailor made for heavy-handed melodrama. But the sweet, subtle movie won two awards at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, and audience awards at NewFest and Outfest, because it treats its subjects with such tender respect. Mr. Lobo’s shy, wry Leonardo is blind but observant, chafing against the overprotectiveness of his family but not panicked like those tragic characters in other films, who seem to have suddenly discovered a lifelong disability. He is teased at school but adored by his good friend Giovana, played by a charming Tess Amorim. Their friendship is thrown off balance, but not torn asunder, when Leonardo falls for a new boy at school, Mr. Audi’s Gabriel, whose adorable curls may be lost on Leonardo — but not his sincere charms. Leonardo and Gabriel’s careful, tentative romance unspools through sidewalk strolls and flirtatious study dates, boring classes and a school camping trip. When Gabriel asks Leonardo if he’s seen a viral cat video on YouTube, he realizes his mistake and apologizes a bit too much. Then, the blind Leonardo surprises Gabriel by suggesting a movie date. At the cinema, as big-budget explosions boom, Gabriel explains what is happening on screen. (“The giant robot destroyed the church.”) They awkwardly dance in the bedroom to Belle and Sebastian’s soft pop, drink too much vodka from plastic party cups and gradually reveal themselves to each other. Performing this teenage romance, Mr. Lobo, 19, and Mr. Audi (above right with Mr. Lobo), 26, don’t use adolescence as an excuse for over-the-top emoting. The most striking quality of their performances is not their exertion, it’s their unexpected ease.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 17:46:40 +0000
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