The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Capturing the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's gripping drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and drug dealing.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape might be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and financial instability. Threats from nefarious characters in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the dread of government monitoring and incarceration, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film stands as a heartfelt look into survival, found community, and the search for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
