The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's unflinching drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.
"The city can be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and financial instability. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the dread of government monitoring and imprisonment, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film functions as a heartfelt examination into survival, found community, and the pursuit of identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.
