The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System

Evoking the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed young man finds solace in the arms of others.

On an evening out with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and drug dealing.

A Study of Empathy Instead of Exploitation

Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his clients, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.

In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.

"The city might be riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."

A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and economic precarity. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the underworld pale in comparison to the fear of state surveillance and incarceration, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.

Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a poignant exploration into resilience, chosen family, and the quest for identity within a demanding urban landscape.