The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Channelling the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The city can be filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and financial instability. Threats from nefarious characters in the underworld seem minor next to the dread of institutional observation and jail time, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film functions as a moving examination into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the search for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
