Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho

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.

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".

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.

The movie was cute and well-acted. It reminds me of the After-School Specials on TV we used to have here in the States, in that it was lighthearted with some great acting and touching upon difficult subjects effectively without going overboard. I wish we would have had movies such as this when I was growing up. It would have helped a lot. Hopefully, it helps some young folks was they deal with a difficult time.

I also thought of the British movie "Beautiful Thing" when I was watching this. That also dealt with teenage boys dealing with same-sex attraction as they deal with the already-tortuous teenage years.

The direction was decent, perhaps just a bit uneven at times.

I remember watching the short film this was based on, and loved it. Upon finding out that a feature film was made, I was dying to see it. As it is, this is pretty similar, although the arc development occurs more gradually and slower of course. The two leads' chemistry is as palpable as it was in the short film, and they make their scenes together work. Their performances, taken on their own, are particularly effective, Lobo in particular. The story as it is isn't anything wholly original, but it doesn't need to be. All it needs to do is make us believe in it and we do. I strongly recommend this gem of a film and I really hope it's seen by more people.