The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System
Channelling the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Empathy Instead of Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets might be riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and economic precarity. Threats from shady figures in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the fear of government monitoring and imprisonment, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.
Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the system. The film stands as a heartfelt examination into making ends meet, chosen family, and the pursuit of self within a demanding urban landscape.
