Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System
Evoking the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.
"The city are riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by envy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the underworld seem minor next to the fear of government monitoring and imprisonment, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film functions as a heartfelt examination into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the search for self within a harsh urban landscape.
