The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Capturing the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama zooms in on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people cling on to one another for fleeting joy.
"The city are fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and financial instability. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the shadow economy are overshadowed by the anxiety about institutional observation and imprisonment, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers in the area.
Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film stands as a heartfelt exploration into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the search for self within a harsh urban landscape.
