Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Channelling the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The city might be riddled with risk, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and financial instability. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the underworld are overshadowed by the fear of government monitoring and imprisonment, represented by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film ultimately serves as a poignant exploration into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the quest for self within a harsh urban landscape.
