The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Evoking the urban restlessness and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; 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 encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets are riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by envy and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the underworld pale in comparison to the dread of state surveillance and imprisonment, represented by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film stands as a moving look into making ends meet, found community, and the quest for identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.
