Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order
Channelling the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the flickering glow of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape might be filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and financial instability. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the fear of institutional observation and imprisonment, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.
Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the established structure. The film stands as a heartfelt examination into making ends meet, chosen family, and the pursuit of self within a harsh urban landscape.