Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama zooms in on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and selling drugs.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape can be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and financial instability. Threats from dubious individuals in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the dread of institutional observation and jail time, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the system. The film stands as a moving look into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the quest for purpose within a demanding urban landscape.
