Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Capturing the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Study of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for fleeting joy.
"The streets are riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Threats from shady figures in the shadow economy are overshadowed by the fear of institutional observation and incarceration, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film stands as a moving exploration into resilience, found community, and the pursuit of purpose within a harsh urban landscape.
