The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System
Channelling the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed 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 finds solace 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 wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people grasp at one another for fleeting joy.
"The city are fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and economic precarity. Threats from nefarious characters in the underworld are overshadowed by the anxiety about state surveillance and incarceration, represented by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the established structure. The film functions as a poignant look into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the search for self within a harsh urban landscape.
