Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Capturing the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed 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 evening out with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and drug dealing.
A Study of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.
"The urban landscape are filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the underworld pale in comparison to the anxiety about state surveillance and incarceration, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the established structure. The film stands as a heartfelt exploration into survival, non-biological kinship, and the search for self within a harsh urban landscape.
