🔗 Share this article Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Lost in the Established Order Capturing the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; 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 LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and drug dealing. A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care. In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people cling on to one another for fleeting joy. "The city might be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too." A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and financial instability. Dangers posed by shady figures in the underworld seem minor next to the dread of state surveillance and incarceration, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds. Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt look into resilience, chosen family, and the search for identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.