🔗 Share this article Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Adrift in the Established Order Channelling the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others. On an night on the town with his lively group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking. A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. 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 instances of tenderness. In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people hold fast to one another for temporary happiness. "The urban landscape can be riddled with risk, 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 protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and financial instability. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the dread of government monitoring and imprisonment, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds. Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the social system. The film stands as a heartfelt examination into making ends meet, chosen family, and the pursuit of self within a demanding urban landscape.