Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System
Channelling the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned 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 gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape are fraught with peril, yet they are where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and financial instability. Threats from dubious individuals in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the anxiety about state surveillance and jail time, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the lost people who have been failed by the system. The film functions as a poignant look into survival, found community, and the quest for purpose within a demanding urban landscape.
