The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System
Channelling the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing 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 boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The city might be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and economic precarity. Intimidation from shady figures in the shadow economy seem minor next to the fear of institutional observation and jail time, represented by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.
Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film stands as a moving look into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of purpose within a harsh urban landscape.