Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Evoking the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's unflinching drama centres on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the innocent young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets might be filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and economic precarity. Threats from dubious individuals in the underworld pale in comparison to the anxiety about institutional observation and jail time, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film functions as a heartfelt examination into resilience, chosen family, and the quest for purpose within a demanding urban landscape.
