🔗 Share this article The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Survivors Lost in the System Capturing the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others. On an evening out with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and selling drugs. A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care. In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for momentary bliss. "The city can be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too." A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the shadow economy are overshadowed by the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, represented by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds. Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film functions as a poignant look into resilience, chosen family, and the quest for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.