Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Channelling the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed 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 meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets are riddled with risk, yet they are where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and economic precarity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the shadow economy are overshadowed by the fear of government monitoring and jail time, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film stands as a poignant look into making ends meet, found community, and the pursuit of identity within a harsh urban landscape.
