The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System
Evoking the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape are fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and financial instability. Threats from shady figures in the shadow economy seem minor next to the anxiety about institutional observation and jail time, represented by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film functions as a moving look into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the search for identity within a demanding urban landscape.
