The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Capturing the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Study of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape might be riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the underworld are overshadowed by the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film ultimately serves as a moving examination into making ends meet, chosen family, and the search for self within a demanding urban landscape.
