Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Channelling the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape might be filled with danger, yet they are where they can find their own family, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and economic precarity. Threats from dubious individuals in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the fear of institutional observation and jail time, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt exploration into survival, non-biological kinship, and the search for purpose within a demanding urban landscape.
