Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Channelling the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The city are filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and financial instability. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the dread of state surveillance and imprisonment, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film functions as a heartfelt examination into making ends meet, chosen family, and the quest for identity within a harsh urban landscape.
