The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama centres 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; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge 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 muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.
"The urban landscape might be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and economic precarity. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the dread of state surveillance and jail time, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film ultimately serves as a poignant exploration into making ends meet, found community, and the search for self within a demanding urban landscape.
