Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System

Evoking the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit 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 (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.

On an night on the town with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.

A Study of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism

The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.

In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.

"The city might be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."

A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and economic precarity. Threats from shady figures in the underworld are overshadowed by the dread of government monitoring and incarceration, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers in the area.

Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film functions as a poignant exploration into survival, non-biological kinship, and the quest for self within a demanding urban landscape.