Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System
Evoking the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and selling drugs.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for fleeting joy.
"The city can be filled with danger, yet they are where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and financial instability. Threats from dubious individuals in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the anxiety about government monitoring and imprisonment, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the social system. The film functions as a heartfelt exploration into survival, chosen family, and the quest for self within a harsh urban landscape.
