The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Channelling the urban restlessness and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed 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 rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The city might be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the dread of institutional observation and jail time, represented by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film ultimately serves as a moving examination into making ends meet, chosen family, and the search for identity within a harsh urban landscape.
