I Don't Want to Go Back Alone

Leonardo, a blind high-school student, walks home every day with his friend Giovana. Gabriel, new to the class, disturbs that arrangement. Leo realises he is drawn to him, and Giovana starts to be left outside. The film is not interested in blindness. It is interested in the first form of wanting in adolescence: Leo knows people by touch, smell and voice, and the film turns those senses into a romantic discovery. The scene where Gabriel talks about his haircut fits the whole story into a single touch. The form is a small short: school, house, bicycle, road. Fifteen minutes, three characters, no ornament. Daniel Ribeiro directed. When the short drew attention he turned the same story into a feature in 2014, The Way He Looks, with the same three actors. Ghilherme Lobo, Fabio Audi and Tess Amorim star. Who it is for: viewers who like coming-of-age stories and shorts, or want a look before the feature. Who it is not for: anyone expecting depth. It is brief, the characters have no history and Giovana's side is barely opened.