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

Capturing the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who exist on the margins 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 boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and selling drugs.

A Study of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.

In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for fleeting joy.

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

A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Threats from shady figures in the underworld seem minor next to the fear of government monitoring and jail time, represented by the looming presence 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 stands as a poignant look into resilience, chosen family, and the search for identity within a demanding urban landscape.