The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's unflinching drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon 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 the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets can be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and financial instability. Threats from shady figures in the underworld seem minor next to the fear of institutional observation and incarceration, represented by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the lost people who have been failed by the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a poignant look into making ends meet, chosen family, and the search for purpose within a demanding urban landscape.
