Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Channelling the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from 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 rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape are riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and financial instability. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the fear of institutional observation and incarceration, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film stands as a moving exploration into survival, non-biological kinship, and the search for identity within a demanding urban landscape.
