The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama zooms in on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the wide-eyed young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The city might be filled with danger, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and monetary insecurity. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the shadow economy seem minor next to the dread of government monitoring and incarceration, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the social system. The film ultimately serves as a moving exploration into survival, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of self within a harsh urban landscape.
