The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System
Channelling the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's unflinching drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the wide-eyed young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape might be fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the underworld are overshadowed by the dread of institutional observation and imprisonment, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt examination into making ends meet, found community, and the pursuit of identity within a harsh urban landscape.
