Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who exist on the margins of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than 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 gnawing loneliness, as rootless people cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The city are fraught with peril, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and financial instability. Threats from nefarious characters in the underworld seem minor next to the anxiety about government monitoring and incarceration, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film functions as a moving exploration into making ends meet, found community, and the pursuit of identity within a demanding urban landscape.
