Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Channelling the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama zooms in on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape might be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and financial instability. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the anxiety about government monitoring and jail time, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film functions as a moving exploration into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the search for purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.
