Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Evoking the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's gripping drama centres on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort 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 muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to 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 lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape are fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the underworld seem minor next to the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, represented by the looming presence 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 poignant examination into making ends meet, found community, and the search for self within a harsh urban landscape.
