Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Channelling the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned 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 LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people grasp at one another for fleeting joy.
"The city can be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Threats from shady figures in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, represented by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.
Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film ultimately serves as a moving examination into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of self within a demanding urban landscape.
