The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System
Evoking the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted 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 LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The streets might be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the underworld seem minor next to the fear of state surveillance and incarceration, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.
Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a poignant examination into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the search for identity within a harsh urban landscape.
