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

Evoking the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama centres on those who exist on the margins of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.

On an evening out with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and selling drugs.

A Study of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.

In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for temporary happiness.

"The streets can be riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."

A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control

Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the shadow economy seem minor next to the dread of state surveillance and jail time, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.

Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt look into making ends meet, found community, and the search for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.