Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System
Channelling the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama focuses 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; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort 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 over double his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Study of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The city might be riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and financial instability. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the fear of state surveillance and imprisonment, represented by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the lost people who have been failed by the established structure. The film stands as a poignant examination into making ends meet, found community, and the quest for identity within a harsh urban landscape.
