Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Evoking the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and drug dealing.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The urban landscape are filled with danger, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by envy and economic precarity. Threats from nefarious characters in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the fear of institutional observation and incarceration, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film ultimately serves as a moving look into making ends meet, chosen family, and the pursuit of identity within a harsh urban landscape.
