The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Capturing the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama zooms in on those who live on the fringes of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people grasp at one another for momentary bliss.
"The streets can be riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and economic precarity. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the shadow economy are overshadowed by the dread of state surveillance and imprisonment, represented by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film ultimately serves as a poignant look into survival, chosen family, and the pursuit of purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.
