Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Capturing the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama zooms in on those who live on the fringes of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape are riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and financial instability. Threats from dubious individuals in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the anxiety about state surveillance and imprisonment, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the established structure. The film functions as a poignant exploration into resilience, found community, and the search for purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.
