The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Channelling the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an constantly evolving 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 boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people cling on to one another for fleeting joy.
"The streets can be filled with danger, yet they are where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and economic precarity. Intimidation from shady figures in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the anxiety about state surveillance and jail time, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a poignant look into survival, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.
