Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Capturing the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his lively group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence 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, overflowing with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape might be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by envy and economic precarity. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the dread of state surveillance and imprisonment, represented by the looming presence of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the system. The film functions as a poignant look into making ends meet, found community, and the pursuit of purpose within a harsh urban landscape.
