Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler more than twice his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape are fraught with peril, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Threats from dubious individuals in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the fear of government monitoring and incarceration, represented by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt examination into survival, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.
