Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Channelling the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets might be filled with danger, yet they are where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and financial instability. Threats from dubious individuals in the underworld pale in comparison to the fear of state surveillance and jail time, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt look into survival, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of purpose within a demanding urban landscape.
