The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Channelling the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his lively group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.
"The streets are fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by envy and economic precarity. Threats from shady figures in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the fear of government monitoring and imprisonment, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a poignant exploration into survival, non-biological kinship, and the search for purpose within a harsh urban landscape.
