Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Evoking the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's unflinching drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor 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 evening out with his lively group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons 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, overflowing with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The city can be filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and monetary insecurity. Threats from dubious individuals in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the anxiety about institutional observation and incarceration, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the system. The film stands as a poignant exploration into resilience, chosen family, and the quest for self within a harsh urban landscape.
