Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The urban landscape are fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and financial instability. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the underworld are overshadowed by the fear of state surveillance and imprisonment, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film ultimately serves as a moving look into resilience, chosen family, and the quest for purpose within a demanding urban landscape.
