The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Evoking the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed young man discovers refuge 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 intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape are fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control
Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and economic precarity. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the anxiety about institutional observation and jail time, represented by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.
Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the social system. The film stands as a poignant look into resilience, chosen family, and the search for purpose within a demanding urban landscape.
