Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Channelling the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The streets might be fraught with peril, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and monetary insecurity. Threats from nefarious characters in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the dread of state surveillance and jail time, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.
Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film ultimately serves as a poignant examination into survival, chosen family, and the search for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
