Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Channelling the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with brash fearlessness and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for momentary bliss.
"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 both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and financial instability. Threats from shady figures in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the fear of institutional observation and jail time, represented by the looming presence of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film functions as a poignant look into making ends meet, chosen family, and the quest for identity within a demanding urban landscape.
