The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Evoking the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an constantly evolving metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his boisterous group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets are filled with danger, 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 connection is thrown off course by envy and financial instability. Intimidation from shady figures in the underworld pale in comparison to the fear of state surveillance and incarceration, represented by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.
Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a moving examination into resilience, found community, and the search for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
