The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System
Capturing the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Study of Empathy Instead of Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with brash fearlessness and endearing innocence. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets are fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and financial instability. Intimidation from shady figures in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the anxiety about state surveillance and incarceration, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film functions as a moving exploration into survival, chosen family, and the search for self within a demanding urban landscape.
