Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Evoking the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his lively group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, 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 Rather Than Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape can be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Threats from nefarious characters in the shadow economy seem minor next to the fear of state surveillance and jail time, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film ultimately serves as a poignant look into making ends meet, chosen family, and the search for purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.
