When Wellington(João Pedro Mariano) comes of age in a juvenile detention center, he finds himself alone, adrift on the streets of São Paulo, with no resources to start a new life and no news of his parents - we understand, during a brief telephone exchange with his mother, that his father, a policeman, does not accept his homosexuality.
During a visit to a porn theater, the angular young man meets Ronaldo(Ricardo Teodoro), a middle-aged man who teaches him new ways to survive by earning a little money. But little by little, their relationship turns into a conflicting passion, oscillating between exploitation and protection, jealousy and complicity. " Stop being such a baby ", Ronaldo tells Wellington, who is looking for a protector.
With his new feature, Baby, unveiled at Critics' Week, Marcelo Caetano signs a searing queer work in which male bodies are made and unmade as the night progresses. The subtext is the mechanics of establishing relationships of strength and power (young/old, rich/poor, and even physical, thin/coated, beardless/bearded) orchestrated by certain ogresque figures who devour the young adult from within, as he searches for security and freedom.
Probing the high spots of homosexual encounters - a sauna, a gay porn cinema where bodies are exchanged in full view of everyone, a cruising session in a park - the Brazilian director turns his benevolent gaze on the youth of São Paulo who fight to exist socially - living off petty trafficking and coming together within a chosen family, that of voguing, offering graceful dance sequences. But also a carnal love story that oscillates between body and heart.
Cannes Festival 2024: The latest news and information about the 77th edition
The Cannes Film Festival returns to the Croisette for its 77th edition from May 14 to 25, 2024. Click here for all the latest news and information! [Read more]
Cannes Festival 2024: The latest news and information about the 77th edition
