When the trailer of Baby was released, there was a buzz in the Italian press, as this is the second original Netflix series entirely produced there (watch here). And it wasn’t because of a technical or casting problem, but because of its plot: many conservatives have indicated that this production glamorizes teenage prostitution, showing on the screen as if it was something worth it. The fear of these educators, journalists and parents is that, inspired by what was watched, Italian youth might want to sell their bodies to buy branded clothes. However, the series doesn’t cause this effect, even from a distance.
The main story of Baby is freely based on a real case occurred in Italy in 2014, which became known as “Baby Squillo”. At the time, two teenagers from Parioli, a middle-class neighborhood in Rome, were discovered in prostitution just to have enough money to afford a lifetime of luxuries such as designer clothing and electronics. The case had a huge impact on the media at the time, and the girls’ mothers were arrested.
So, in Baby, writers Antonio Le Fosse, Eleonora Cheats, Marco Raspanti, James Mazzariol and King Salvador – who form the collective called Grams – use this real story as inspiration and background for deeper analysis of what moves young people today. In addition to the two main characters, who are directly inspired by the case of 2014, we also have a huge range of supporting characters that demonstrate, in their own manner, the way of life of young people in Italy and, consequently, the rest of the world. Of course, there are some situations that are very specific for people who live in Europe, but to a lesser extent, can also be shared by people from any location.
Counting, therefore, with a talented cast and a good script, Baby also has an above average technical quality. Under the direction of Andrea De Sica and Anna Negri, the series is visually very well composed, in addition to being able to keep the suspense and tension in key scenes, which reveal much more than what is being seen literally on the screen. A lot attention must be paid: there is much more to the scene than it appears.
Finally, Baby mounts all its drama on the principle that the inconsequential choices we sometimes make when young can cause serious harm in our future life. All this is shown with aptitude by the producers, and even if some episodes have a slower pace, the balance is still quite positive and is, therefore, a good drama added in the Netflix catalog.
You can also like Forgotten, Greenleaf, Cam and The Sinner.
Synopsis 1: In their posh world, social appearance is everything. Sick of playing by the rules, they begin a secret life without any.
Synopsis 2: Fed up with their families and classmates, two teen girls from a wealthy part of Rome are drawn to the city’s underworld and start leading double lives.
Age rating: 18;