The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Evoking the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an constantly evolving metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; deserted by his parents, the wide-eyed young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The urban landscape can be fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and financial instability. Threats from shady figures in the underworld are overshadowed by the dread of institutional observation and jail time, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers in the area.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film stands as a moving examination into survival, found community, and the pursuit of self within a harsh urban landscape.
