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

Channelling the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.

On an evening out with his boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and selling drugs.

A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Exploitation

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care.

In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for fleeting joy.

"The urban landscape are riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."

A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and economic precarity. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the fear of state surveillance and incarceration, represented by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.

Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the lost people who have been failed by the social system. The film functions as a poignant exploration into making ends meet, chosen family, and the pursuit of self within a unforgiving urban landscape.