Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Capturing the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama centres on those who live on the fringes 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 innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his lively group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and selling drugs.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets might be riddled with risk, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and financial instability. Intimidation from shady figures in the shadow economy seem minor next to the fear of government monitoring and jail time, represented by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film functions as a heartfelt look into making ends meet, chosen family, and the quest for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
