Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Evoking the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama zooms in on those who live on the fringes of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape are fraught with peril, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and financial instability. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the fear of institutional observation and jail time, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt examination into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the search for self within a demanding urban landscape.
