Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Channelling the urban restlessness and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort 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 more than twice his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and drug dealing.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape might be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and economic precarity. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the underworld seem minor next to the dread of institutional observation and imprisonment, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film stands as a poignant look into resilience, found community, and the quest for identity within a demanding urban landscape.