The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Channelling the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The director portrays 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 brash fearlessness and endearing innocence. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The city can be filled with danger, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and economic precarity. Threats from shady figures in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the anxiety about institutional observation and incarceration, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a moving examination into survival, found community, and the quest for purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.
