Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Channelling the urban restlessness and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The streets might be riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Threats from shady figures in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the dread of state surveillance and jail time, represented by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film functions as a heartfelt examination into survival, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.
