The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Evoking the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's gripping drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; deserted by his parents, the wide-eyed young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. 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, overflowing with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape can be riddled with risk, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Intimidation from shady figures in the underworld seem minor next to the anxiety about government monitoring and jail time, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film ultimately serves as a moving exploration into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
