As part of the HSBC Spanish Film Festival at Palace Nova Eastend, Baby, directed by Brazilian filmmaker Marcelo Caetano, offers a raw and emotionally resonant portrait of queer survival on the margins of São Paulo. The film, which premiered at the 2024 Cannes Critics’ Week, has cemented Caetano’s place as a key voice in contemporary queer cinema.

Baby follows 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano), who has just been released from a juvenile detention centre and finds himself homeless in the city streets of São Paulo. Desperate and alone, he meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a charismatic and self-assured sex worker who offers him food, shelter, and eventually, something resembling intimacy.

What unfolds is not a love story in any traditional sense, but rather a nuanced exploration of dependence, vulnerability, and desire. Caetano avoids easy moral judgments, allowing both characters to exist in the grey spaces between affection and survival, guidance and manipulation. The film resists being sensational, instead opting for quiet, observational storytelling that focusses more on emotional truth over plot lines.

The performances are exceptional. Ricardo Teodoro, who won the Louis Roederer Rising Star Award at Cannes, brings depth and charisma to the role of Ronaldo. But it’s João Pedro Mariano’s subtle portrayal of Wellington, soft-spoken, curious, and heartbreakingly sincere, that anchors the film. Their chemistry is compelling and at times uncomfortable, filled with both tension and tenderness.

Visually, Baby captures São Paulo with a blend of grit and beauty. The camera lingers on faces and bodies, elevating fleeting gestures and glances into moments of deep significance. The city feels both overwhelming and intimate, mirroring the emotional terrain the characters navigate.

Caetano’s direction focusses on the private, often invisible world of queer affection and longing. Whether it’s the adult cinema beat, the local park the queer youths perform ballroom in or the basic abodes they occupy, you’re offered a glimpse into a world largely underrepresented. It’s a film about what it means to be seen, desired, and held, even if only temporarily.

Baby is a quiet triumph. It is unflinching, compassionate, and deeply human. Don’t miss this moving film during its limited run at Palace Nova Eastend, where it screens as part of this year’s HSBC Spanish Film Festival. It’s a rare cinematic experience that lingers long after the credits roll.