The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Evoking the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; deserted by his parents, the wide-eyed 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. Bathed in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape are riddled with risk, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated 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. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the fear of government monitoring and incarceration, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the lost people who have been failed by the system. The film functions as a heartfelt examination into making ends meet, chosen family, and the search for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
