Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System
Capturing the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; left behind 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 gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The city are filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and financial instability. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the shadow economy seem minor next to the fear of institutional observation and incarceration, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a poignant exploration into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the search for self within a demanding urban landscape.
