Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Evoking the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets might be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and financial instability. Dangers posed by shady figures in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the fear of government monitoring and imprisonment, represented by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.
Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a poignant exploration into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the search for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
