Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order

Evoking the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; deserted by his parents, the wide-eyed young man finds solace in the arms of others.

On an evening out with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.

A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.

In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for momentary bliss.

"The urban landscape might be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, too."

A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and financial instability. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the underworld pale in comparison to the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.

Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film stands as a moving exploration into making ends meet, found community, and the pursuit of identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.