Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Capturing the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama centres on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the wide-eyed young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler more than twice his age. Illuminated by the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape might be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, 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 envy and economic precarity. Threats from shady figures in the shadow economy seem minor next to the fear of state surveillance and jail time, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film stands as a heartfelt examination into making ends meet, chosen family, and the pursuit of self within a harsh urban landscape.
