The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Capturing the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (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 night on the town with his lively group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape might be filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and economic precarity. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the underworld seem minor next to the anxiety about state surveillance and imprisonment, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film functions as a moving look into survival, chosen family, and the search for purpose within a demanding urban landscape.
