The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the urban restlessness and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's unflinching drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an constantly evolving metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the innocent 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 muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The urban landscape might be filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and monetary insecurity. Threats from shady figures in the underworld seem minor next to the dread of institutional observation and imprisonment, represented by the constant sight of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the lost people who have been failed by the established structure. The film functions as a heartfelt look into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of purpose within a harsh urban landscape.
