The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Capturing the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than 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 deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for fleeting joy.
"The city might be riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and economic precarity. Threats from shady figures in the shadow economy seem minor next to the anxiety about state surveillance and imprisonment, represented by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as an astute portrait of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film ultimately serves as a moving look into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of purpose within a harsh urban landscape.