Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System
Evoking the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler more than twice his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape might be fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and financial instability. Threats from shady figures in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the fear of government monitoring and jail time, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film functions as a heartfelt look into resilience, found community, and the search for purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.