The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Channelling the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape can be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Threats from shady figures in the underworld pale in comparison to the anxiety about institutional observation and jail time, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a moving exploration into making ends meet, found community, and the quest for identity within a harsh urban landscape.
