Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Capturing the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and vibrant storefronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape might be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by envy and financial instability. Threats from shady figures in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the dread of institutional observation and imprisonment, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt exploration into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the search for identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.
