Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Capturing the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama centres 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; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people cling on to one another for fleeting joy.
"The streets can be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by envy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the underworld are overshadowed by the anxiety about government monitoring and imprisonment, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film functions as a moving examination into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the quest for identity within a demanding urban landscape.
