The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System
Evoking the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama centres 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) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and drug dealing.
A Study of Empathy Instead of Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets can be fraught with peril, yet they are where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Threats from dubious individuals in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the fear of state surveillance and imprisonment, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film stands as a heartfelt exploration into making ends meet, chosen family, and the search for self within a demanding urban landscape.
