Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Evoking the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama centres on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people cling on to one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape can be riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the underworld seem minor next to the fear of state surveillance and incarceration, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film functions as a poignant look into making ends meet, chosen family, and the search for self within a demanding urban landscape.
