🔗 Share this article Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order Evoking the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others. On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and drug dealing. A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Exploitation Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his clients, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness. In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for fleeting joy. "The city are fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too." A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Threats from dubious individuals in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the anxiety about government monitoring and imprisonment, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol. Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the system. The film ultimately serves as a moving examination into survival, found community, and the search for purpose within a harsh urban landscape.