Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Evoking the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his clients, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people grasp at one another for fleeting joy.
"The urban landscape are filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and financial instability. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the underworld seem minor next to the fear of government monitoring and incarceration, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film ultimately serves as a poignant examination into survival, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of purpose within a harsh urban landscape.
