Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System

Evoking the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.

On an night on the town with his lively group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.

A Study of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation

Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.

In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.

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

A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control

Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and economic precarity. Threats from nefarious characters in the shadow economy seem minor next to the anxiety about state surveillance and incarceration, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers in the area.

Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the lost people who have been failed by the established structure. The film functions as a poignant look into survival, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of purpose within a demanding urban landscape.