Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System
Capturing the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Study of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for fleeting joy.
"The city are fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the shadow economy seem minor next to the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the system. The film ultimately serves as a poignant examination into making ends meet, found community, and the pursuit of identity within a harsh urban landscape.
