Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Evoking the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape can be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and economic precarity. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the dread of state surveillance and incarceration, represented by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film stands as a moving exploration into survival, non-biological kinship, and the quest for purpose within a demanding urban landscape.
