The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Channelling the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his boisterous group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Study of Empathy Instead of Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for fleeting joy.
"The city might be riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and economic precarity. Threats from shady figures in the underworld seem minor next to the fear of institutional observation and incarceration, represented by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film stands as a moving exploration into survival, found community, and the quest for self within a demanding urban landscape.
