The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System

Channelling the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the innocent young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.

On an night on the town with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and narcotics trafficking.

A Study of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism

The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care.

In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.

"The city are riddled with risk, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."

A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and economic precarity. Threats from dubious individuals in the shadow economy seem minor next to the fear of state surveillance and jail time, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.

Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film ultimately serves as a poignant look into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of purpose within a demanding urban landscape.