The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Capturing the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence 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, overflowing with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people grasp at one another for momentary bliss.
"The city might be fraught with peril, 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 protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the underworld pale in comparison to the dread of state surveillance and imprisonment, represented by the constant sight of police officers in the area.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film stands as a moving look into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the quest for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
