Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Evoking the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; deserted by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Sensationalism
The director portrays 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 cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people grasp at one another for momentary bliss.
"The streets might be fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and financial instability. Dangers posed by shady figures in the shadow economy seem minor next to the fear of government monitoring and incarceration, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film stands as a heartfelt exploration into survival, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
