The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Channelling the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and drug dealing.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets can be filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and economic precarity. Threats from dubious individuals in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the dread of state surveillance and imprisonment, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film stands as a poignant exploration into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the search for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
