🔗 Share this article Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order Capturing the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others. On an night on the town with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and narcotics trafficking. A Study of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. 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 moments of care. In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people grasp at one another for momentary bliss. "The urban landscape can be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space 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 bond is sabotaged by envy and monetary insecurity. Threats from shady figures in the underworld seem minor next to the anxiety about state surveillance and jail time, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area. Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the lost people who have been failed by the social system. The film stands as a poignant look into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of self within a demanding urban landscape.