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, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama centres on those who exist on the margins of an constantly evolving metropolis. Fresh out of 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 finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts 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 feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for momentary bliss.
"The city are filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and economic precarity. Threats from shady figures in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, represented by the looming presence of police officers in the area.
Baby is particularly impactful as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film stands as a heartfelt look into resilience, chosen family, and the quest for self within a harsh urban landscape.
