The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Capturing the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's gripping drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler more than twice his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Study of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and touching naivety. To his clients, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The city might be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the underworld are overshadowed by 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 disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt look into making ends meet, chosen family, and the pursuit of identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.
