Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System
Evoking the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Study of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The city are filled with danger, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the shadow economy are overshadowed by the dread of government monitoring and incarceration, represented by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.
Baby is particularly impactful as an astute portrait of the lost people who have been failed by the system. The film stands as a moving examination into survival, chosen family, and the search for purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.
