The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Channelling the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The city are filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, 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 jealousy and monetary insecurity. Intimidation from shady figures in the shadow economy seem minor next to the dread of state surveillance and jail time, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the social system. The film functions as a poignant examination into making ends meet, chosen family, and the pursuit of self within a harsh urban landscape.