Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Channelling the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama centres 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) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The city might be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and financial instability. Intimidation from shady figures in the underworld seem minor next to the fear of institutional observation and incarceration, represented by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film functions as a moving exploration into survival, found community, and the search for purpose within a harsh urban landscape.
