Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System
Channelling the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama zooms in 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) stands at a pivotal juncture; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his lively group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets might be filled with danger, 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 bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and economic precarity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the dread of government monitoring and jail time, represented by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.
Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film functions as a poignant look into survival, chosen family, and the search for identity within a demanding urban landscape.