Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System
Capturing the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape can be riddled with risk, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Threats from dubious individuals in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the dread of institutional observation and jail time, represented by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the social system. The film stands as a moving exploration into resilience, found community, and the search for identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.
