Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Channelling the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
The film illustrates 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 brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his clients, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.
"The streets can be fraught with peril, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the underworld are overshadowed by the anxiety about institutional observation and incarceration, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt examination into resilience, found community, and the pursuit of purpose within a harsh urban landscape.
