Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Evoking the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The city can be filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and economic precarity. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the underworld are overshadowed by the anxiety about state surveillance and jail time, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film ultimately serves as a moving exploration into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the quest for self within a demanding urban landscape.
