The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Evoking the urban restlessness and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's gripping drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker 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 instances of tenderness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The city are filled with danger, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the underworld are overshadowed by the anxiety about state surveillance and imprisonment, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the system. The film stands as a poignant examination into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the quest for purpose within a harsh urban landscape.
