Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer 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 live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his boisterous group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people grasp at one another for momentary bliss.
"The city can be filled with danger, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by envy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the underworld pale in comparison to the dread of institutional observation and imprisonment, represented by the looming presence of police officers in the area.
Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film ultimately serves as a poignant exploration into survival, found community, and the quest for identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.
