Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, 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 Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The streets can be riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest 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 underworld are overshadowed by the dread of government monitoring and incarceration, represented by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the system. The film functions as a moving exploration into resilience, chosen family, and the pursuit of self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
