Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Capturing the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape can be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and economic precarity. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the dread of state surveillance and imprisonment, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.
Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film functions as a moving look into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of self within a harsh urban landscape.