The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Channelling the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's unflinching drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor 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 meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than 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 clandestine realm of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.
"The streets might be filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by envy and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the underworld are overshadowed by the dread of institutional observation and jail time, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the system. The film functions as a poignant look into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the search for self within a harsh urban landscape.