🔗 Share this article Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order Channelling the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man discovers refuge in the arms of others. On an night on the town with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the wavering neon 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 selling drugs. A Study of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness. In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for fleeting joy. "The urban landscape can be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too." A Complex Relationship of Love and Control Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Intimidation from shady figures in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, represented by the looming presence of police officers in the area. Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the system. The film ultimately serves as a poignant examination into resilience, chosen family, and the quest for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.