Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Capturing the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and drug dealing.
A Study of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people grasp at one another for momentary bliss.
"The streets might be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, 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 monetary insecurity. Threats from shady figures in the shadow economy seem minor next to the anxiety about government monitoring and jail time, represented by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film stands as a moving look into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the search for self within a harsh urban landscape.
