Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System
Channelling the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released from 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 night on the town with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The city might be filled with danger, yet they are where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated 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 envy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the anxiety about government monitoring and incarceration, represented by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.
Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the system. The film ultimately serves as a moving look into survival, found community, and the search for identity within a demanding urban landscape.
