The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Evoking the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and selling drugs.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.
"The urban landscape are riddled with risk, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and financial instability. Threats from nefarious characters in the shadow economy seem minor next to the anxiety about institutional observation and incarceration, represented by the looming presence of police officers in the area.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film functions as a moving examination into survival, found community, and the quest for identity within a demanding urban landscape.
