Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Channelling the urban restlessness and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and selling drugs.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with cocky bravado and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape might be riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and financial instability. Threats from nefarious characters in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the anxiety about institutional observation and imprisonment, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.
Baby is particularly impactful as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the established structure. The film stands as a poignant look into survival, chosen family, and the quest for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.