Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Capturing the urban restlessness and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who exist on the margins of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.
"The streets might be riddled with risk, yet they are where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and financial instability. Threats from nefarious characters in the shadow economy seem minor next to the anxiety about government monitoring and incarceration, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film stands as a heartfelt exploration into survival, chosen family, and the search for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
