Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Evoking the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's gripping drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an constantly evolving 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 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 meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the flickering glow of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for momentary bliss.
"The city are riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the fear of institutional observation and incarceration, represented by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film functions as a heartfelt examination into resilience, found community, and the search for purpose within a harsh urban landscape.
