The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System
Capturing the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler more than twice his age. Illuminated by the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Study of Empathy Instead of Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people grasp at one another for momentary bliss.
"The city are filled with danger, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the fear of government monitoring and imprisonment, represented by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt exploration into making ends meet, chosen family, and the search for self within a harsh urban landscape.