The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Channelling the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, 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 Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The city can be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and financial instability. Dangers posed by shady figures in the underworld are overshadowed by the fear of institutional observation and imprisonment, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film stands as a moving examination into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the search for purpose within a demanding urban landscape.
