Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order

Channelling the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.

On an late-night excursion with his lively group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.

A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.

In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for momentary bliss.

"The city can be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."

A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the anxiety about state surveillance and imprisonment, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.

Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the lost people who have been failed by the established structure. The film functions as a heartfelt exploration into survival, chosen family, and the search for purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.