Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Evoking the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his lively group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The city are fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the anxiety about state surveillance and jail time, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers in the area.
Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the social system. The film stands as a poignant examination into making ends meet, found community, and the search for identity within a harsh urban landscape.
