The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System
Capturing the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias 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 fleeting acts of kindness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people grasp at one another for fleeting joy.
"The streets might be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Threats from nefarious characters in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the dread of government monitoring and jail time, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.
Baby is particularly impactful as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film stands as a poignant examination into resilience, chosen family, and the pursuit of identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.