The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets can be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by envy and financial instability. Threats from shady figures in the underworld seem minor next to the fear of institutional observation and imprisonment, represented by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.
Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a poignant look into making ends meet, chosen family, and the quest for purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.
