A primera vista

If you want to feel that Oh-my-God-I-am-in-love-for-the-first-time feeling, hunt down a copy of this movie and fasten up your seat belt.

There are a lot of movies out there that pertains to the burdens of gay teenagers. However, this one seriously made its way to my heart. This is nothing mainstream, not even a hint of being a novelty film. I was jumping up and down, I cried, I laughed, I felt confused--this is a bomb;a ticking time-bomb. And the only thing that makes the ticking faster is the beat of your heart.

This is a hidden gem, a must-watch for those who are tired of mainstream movies. It is like reading a book but in a multi-sensory way and what makes this film unique is the fact that you cannot simply move on. You'll always be haunted by this movie and you'll find yourself tying the strings of your heart tighter.

When Daniel Ribeiro's sweet and charming short film 'I Don't Want to Go Back Alone' released in 2010, I was completely in love with it. I was eagerly looking forward to watching this movie since its announcement. Though I still consider the short to be simple, nuanced and better, I liked how Ribeiro beautifully adapted the short into a feature film. Of course, he kept the same talented young actors; they've grown, and have done a commendable and mature job. I liked how Ribeiro changed a few parts from the short film, but kept the essence and feel of the story intact; he incorporates the memorable dialogues and moments from the short into the feature film appropriately.

It's the story of a blind guy named Leo, his best friend Giovana, and how their lives change after the arrival of new student, Gabriel. The movie is basically about equality and sexuality. Blind, not blind, or whatever... ultimately, all we seek is love, and independence. We never choose whom we fall in love with.

Though the movie explores themes of friendship, independence, bullying, etc., overall, the movie essentially remains the same as the short; I feel, the characters and situations could have been explored further. But overall, I still like the film; it's heartwarming and delightful.

The title song used in the movie, 'There's Too Much Love' by Belle and Sebastian, is quite mesmerizing. Every time it played during the film, at appropriate moments, my heart was filled with joy. And the main kiss between Leo and Gabriel towards the end is really passionate and moving.

This movie is amazingly good. I already had a taste of it with the short "Eu não quero voltar sozinho" and could not wait to watch the full movie. I had great expectations before even seeing the teasers or trailers... The movie is sweet, delicate and makes you feel so good! The characters are really well constructed. You can see how the actors improved and grew up. The dialogues flow naturally, and the camera works really well with the story. Although I already knew what would happen (because of the short) I was thrilled on many scenes. A really nice touch of the movie was to use small dialogues of the short. The movie makes you want to sit on the movie theatre for many hours. The music made me really happy. I was bobbing my head every time Belle And Sebastian was on, and could not hide my smile on the entire movie. The scenes are so well constructed that you forget that you are watching a movie - it has a dream-like feeling, even on the scenes where there is prejudice. Daniel Ribeiro did an amazing job, and so did the actors. I am in love with the story. This movie is for everyone who believes in love.

A simple, minimalist movie, very different from the current productions. Instead of explosions, too much talk, chop edition, grandiloquent music, Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho show the daily lives of ordinary teenagers, revealing their questions, doubts, conflicts, always in a subtle, gentle way. With very little, Daniel Ribeiro conveys much. The film speaks to teens who identify with the characters, especially the gay teens, but goes further by advocating tolerance and relativize the desire .. The world would be better if there were more movies like this one. Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho won the fipresc prize at Berlin Film Festival. The Hollywood Repórter wrote about the fist work of Daniel Ribeiro: "A blind boy falls in love with another boy -- but it's his desire for independence that's the motor of this beautifully observed drama".

I was referred to this film by a link from another film, and decided to watch it for enhancing "land diversification", plus the film was Brazil's submission to the Academy Awards. As I new nothing about the protagonist's disability, the very start did fascinate me already (how all this would go on?), and, for me, all events went smoothly on towards a smart and tasteful ending.

In spite of sensitive background and topic (at least for many), it was handled with piety, without sensationalism or platitude. The fact that a disabled person had gay feelings, was pleasantly collateral, not prevailing - we just obtain a nice view of teens' dreams vs. reality in São Paulo. As the performances (both younger and older) were skillful and realistic as well, it all just fell into place, and the result is a very good example of a film depicting youngsters should be - as versatile as their inner world and wishes. Highly recommended particularly for the younger people all over the world.