Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Capturing the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets are fraught with peril, 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 guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the anxiety about institutional observation and imprisonment, represented by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the system. The film stands as a heartfelt look into making ends meet, chosen family, and the search for identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.
