Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Evoking the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler more than twice his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of 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 instances of tenderness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape are fraught with peril, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the dread of government monitoring and imprisonment, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film ultimately serves as a moving examination into survival, found community, and the quest for identity within a demanding urban landscape.
