Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System
Evoking the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his lively group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his clients, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for momentary bliss.
"The urban landscape are filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the anxiety about state surveillance and jail time, represented by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a poignant examination into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of purpose within a demanding urban landscape.
