The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System
Channelling the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an constantly evolving metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. 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, teeming with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people cling on to one another for fleeting joy.
"The city might be filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and financial instability. Dangers posed by shady figures in the shadow economy seem minor next to the fear of institutional observation and imprisonment, represented by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a poignant examination into survival, found community, and the pursuit of self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
