The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Capturing the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The urban landscape might be riddled with risk, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and monetary insecurity. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the shadow economy are overshadowed by the anxiety about institutional observation and incarceration, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film stands as a heartfelt look into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the search for purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.
