The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Evoking the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people cling on to one another for fleeting joy.
"The streets might be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the dread of state surveillance and imprisonment, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the established structure. The film functions as a moving examination into survival, non-biological kinship, and the search for purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.
