Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order
Evoking the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Study of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for fleeting joy.
"The city can be filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, 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 jealousy and financial instability. Intimidation from shady figures in the underworld seem minor next to the dread of state surveillance and imprisonment, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film functions as a moving look into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of self within a demanding urban landscape.