The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Channelling the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed 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 encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for momentary bliss.
"The streets are riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Threats from nefarious characters in the underworld seem minor next to the fear of institutional observation and jail time, represented by the constant sight of police officers in the area.
Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film stands as a heartfelt exploration into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the quest for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
