The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Channelling the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's unflinching drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The city are riddled with risk, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and economic precarity. Intimidation from shady figures in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the anxiety about state surveillance and imprisonment, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the established structure. The film functions as a heartfelt examination into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the quest for self within a harsh urban landscape.
