The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Evoking the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled 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 can be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and financial instability. Dangers posed by shady figures in the shadow economy seem minor next to the fear of institutional observation and jail time, represented by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the lost people who have been failed by the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt look into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the search for self within a demanding urban landscape.
