Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Evoking the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by 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 Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his clients, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The streets might be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and financial instability. Threats from shady figures in the shadow economy seem minor next to the dread of institutional observation and jail time, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as an astute portrait of the lost people who have been failed by the social system. The film functions as a moving look into survival, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of identity within a harsh urban landscape.
