🔗 Share this article The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System Channelling the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others. On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and selling drugs. A Study of Empathy Instead of Sensationalism Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and touching naivety. To his patrons, 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 colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for momentary bliss. "The streets are riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too." A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Threats from nefarious characters in the underworld pale in comparison to the anxiety about institutional observation and imprisonment, represented by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds. Baby is particularly impactful as an astute portrait of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film functions as a moving exploration into making ends meet, chosen family, and the search for self within a harsh urban landscape.