Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System

Channelling the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama zooms in on those who live on the fringes of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.

On an night on the town with his boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.

A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Exploitation

The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.

In the hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for momentary bliss.

"The streets might be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."

A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and financial instability. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the underworld seem minor next to the fear of institutional observation and imprisonment, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.

Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the system. The film stands as a poignant examination into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of identity within a demanding urban landscape.