Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System
Capturing the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his clients, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The city can be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and economic precarity. Threats from shady figures in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the fear of state surveillance and incarceration, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the lost people who have been failed by the social system. The film functions as a heartfelt examination into making ends meet, found community, and the search for self within a demanding urban landscape.
