Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Capturing the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's gripping 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) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the wide-eyed young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people grasp at one another for momentary bliss.
"The urban landscape might be riddled with risk, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and financial instability. Threats from nefarious characters in the underworld pale in comparison to the dread of state surveillance and jail time, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film functions as a moving exploration into survival, non-biological kinship, and the search for identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.
