The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System
Evoking the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape can be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and economic precarity. Threats from nefarious characters in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the dread of state surveillance and jail time, represented by the constant sight of police officers in the area.
Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the lost people who have been failed by the social system. The film ultimately serves as a moving exploration into making ends meet, found community, and the search for identity within a harsh urban landscape.
