Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Capturing the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's unflinching drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The city are filled with danger, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, 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 financial instability. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the underworld are overshadowed by the anxiety about government monitoring and imprisonment, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film stands as a moving exploration into resilience, chosen family, and the quest for identity within a demanding urban landscape.
