Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Evoking the metropolitan unease 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 (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; left behind 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 queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people grasp at one another for momentary bliss.
"The streets might be fraught with peril, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and economic precarity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the underworld are overshadowed by the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, represented by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.
Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film stands as a heartfelt examination into making ends meet, found community, and the search for purpose within a harsh urban landscape.
