The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Capturing the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The city can be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the underworld seem minor next to the anxiety about institutional observation and incarceration, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the system. The film stands as a poignant examination into survival, chosen family, and the pursuit of self within a harsh urban landscape.
