Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the System

Evoking the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.

On an night on the town with his lively group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and drug dealing.

A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism

Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.

In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for temporary happiness.

"The streets can be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."

A Complicated 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 possessiveness and economic precarity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the underworld are overshadowed by the dread of government monitoring and incarceration, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.

Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the lost people who have been failed by the system. The film stands as a moving examination into resilience, chosen family, and the search for self within a harsh urban landscape.