Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Evoking the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor 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 evening out with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for momentary bliss.
"The streets can be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and financial instability. Intimidation from shady figures in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the fear of state surveillance and imprisonment, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film stands as a moving exploration into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of self within a demanding urban landscape.
