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 gripping drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The city might be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and financial instability. Dangers posed by shady figures in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the fear of institutional observation and imprisonment, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the lost people who have been failed by the system. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt look into making ends meet, chosen family, and the quest for identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.
