The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System
Channelling the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape can be filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and financial instability. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the fear of institutional observation and jail time, represented by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film functions as a poignant examination into making ends meet, found community, and the pursuit of identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.
