The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Channelling the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed 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 muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and drug dealing.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with brash fearlessness and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape can be filled with danger, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the shadow economy seem minor next to the dread of institutional observation and jail time, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film ultimately serves as a poignant exploration into survival, found community, and the search for identity within a harsh urban landscape.