The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Capturing the urban restlessness and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's unflinching drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The city can be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Intimidation from shady figures in the underworld are overshadowed by the fear of government monitoring and jail time, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film functions as a poignant examination into making ends meet, chosen family, and the quest for purpose within a demanding urban landscape.
