Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Channelling the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The streets might be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and economic precarity. Intimidation from shady figures in the underworld pale in comparison to the fear of institutional observation and incarceration, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the social system. The film ultimately serves as a moving examination into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the quest for purpose within a harsh urban landscape.
