The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System
Capturing the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his lively group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape can be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and financial instability. Intimidation from shady figures in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film stands as a poignant examination into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the search for identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.
