The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Capturing the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; deserted by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his clients, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.
"The streets can be fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and financial instability. Intimidation from shady figures in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the fear of state surveillance and incarceration, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers in the area.
Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the lost people who have been failed by the established structure. The film functions as a moving exploration into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.
