Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Evoking the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama zooms in 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; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The urban landscape are riddled with risk, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the underworld seem minor next to the fear of institutional observation and jail time, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film functions as a moving exploration into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the quest for self within a demanding urban landscape.