The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System
Channelling the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an perpetually shifting 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 innocent young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his boisterous group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people grasp at one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape are fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and financial instability. Threats from dubious individuals in the shadow economy are overshadowed by the dread of government monitoring and imprisonment, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers in the area.
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 resilience, found community, and the quest for self within a demanding urban landscape.