Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order

Channelling the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the wide-eyed young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.

On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and selling drugs.

A Study of Empathy Instead of Sensationalism

Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.

In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for temporary happiness.

"The city are riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."

A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the underworld pale in comparison to the dread of state surveillance and incarceration, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers in the area.

Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film ultimately serves as a moving examination into making ends meet, chosen family, and the search for purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.