Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Evoking the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama zooms in on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler more than twice his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Study of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. 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 bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people grasp at one another for fleeting joy.
"The streets are filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and economic precarity. Threats from shady figures in the underworld seem minor next to the dread of government monitoring and imprisonment, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers in the area.
Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a moving look into resilience, chosen family, and the search for purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.
