The Film Baby Film Analysis: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for fleeting joy.
"The city can be fraught with peril, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and financial instability. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the underworld are overshadowed by the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is particularly impactful as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a moving exploration into making ends meet, chosen family, and the search for identity within a demanding urban landscape.
