The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System
Evoking the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the innocent young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his lively group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape are riddled with risk, yet they are where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and financial instability. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the underworld pale in comparison to the fear of government monitoring and jail time, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the system. The film functions as a moving exploration into resilience, chosen family, and the search for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
