Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Channelling the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's unflinching drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned 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 queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The urban landscape can be filled with danger, yet they are where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and economic precarity. Threats from shady figures in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the dread of government monitoring and incarceration, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt examination into survival, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.
