The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Channelling the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an constantly evolving metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The city might be fraught with peril, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by envy and monetary insecurity. Threats from dubious individuals in the shadow economy are overshadowed by the fear of institutional observation and jail time, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film functions as a heartfelt examination into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the search for purpose within a harsh urban landscape.
