Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and selling drugs.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. 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, teeming with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.
"The city are filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex 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 envy and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the anxiety about state surveillance and imprisonment, represented 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 stands as a heartfelt examination into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the quest for identity within a demanding urban landscape.
