Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Evoking the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting 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 wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets might be fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated 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 possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the shadow economy are overshadowed by the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a moving look into resilience, chosen family, and the quest for self within a harsh urban landscape.
