The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama zooms in on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape can be riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and financial instability. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the anxiety about state surveillance and jail time, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film ultimately serves as a moving exploration into making ends meet, chosen family, and the quest for identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.
