The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Capturing the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama zooms in on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The streets can be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Threats from dubious individuals in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the dread of government monitoring and jail time, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film functions as a poignant examination into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the quest for identity within a demanding urban landscape.
