The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching 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) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor 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 sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and selling drugs.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his clients, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape might be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Threats from nefarious characters in the underworld pale in comparison to the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film functions as a moving look into survival, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of identity within a harsh urban landscape.