The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Channelling the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his lively group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and selling drugs.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness 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 colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The streets might be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and economic precarity. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the shadow economy seem minor next to the dread of institutional observation and jail time, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film stands as a heartfelt exploration into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the quest for identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.
