The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Capturing the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his lively group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with cocky bravado and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape might be filled with danger, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the anxiety about state surveillance and jail time, represented by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film stands as a moving exploration into survival, non-biological kinship, and the quest for identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.