Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Evoking the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing 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 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 (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and selling drugs.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and touching naivety. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets are fraught with peril, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Intimidation from shady figures in the underworld seem minor next to the anxiety about institutional observation and imprisonment, represented by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt look into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the search for identity within a harsh urban landscape.
