The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Evoking the urban restlessness and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released 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 night on the town with his lively group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape are fraught with peril, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and economic precarity. Threats from nefarious characters in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the dread of government monitoring and incarceration, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt examination into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the quest for purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.
