The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Evoking the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting 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 finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape can be fraught with peril, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the anxiety about government monitoring and jail time, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.
Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film functions as a heartfelt look into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the quest for identity within a demanding urban landscape.
