Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Evoking the urban restlessness and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. 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 fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for fleeting joy.
"The city are riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the anxiety about government monitoring and jail time, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.
Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the established structure. The film functions as a poignant examination into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the quest for self within a harsh urban landscape.
