Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Channelling the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released from 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 evening out with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The urban landscape can be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Threats from nefarious characters in the shadow economy are overshadowed by the anxiety about government monitoring and incarceration, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film ultimately serves as a poignant exploration into survival, found community, and the search for identity within a harsh urban landscape.
