The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order

Channelling the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's gripping drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.

On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.

A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism

Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.

In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and vibrant storefronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for temporary happiness.

"The city are filled with danger, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."

A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and financial instability. Threats from nefarious characters in the shadow economy seem minor next to the fear of government monitoring and incarceration, represented by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.

Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film functions as a poignant look into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the quest for identity within a demanding urban landscape.