The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Capturing the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's gripping drama centres on those who exist on the margins of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the innocent 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 encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons 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 feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets are fraught with peril, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and economic precarity. Intimidation from shady figures in the underworld pale in comparison to the anxiety about government monitoring and imprisonment, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the system. The film functions as a moving exploration into making ends meet, chosen family, and the search for identity within a harsh urban landscape.
