The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System
Channelling the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his lively group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and selling drugs.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with brash fearlessness and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for fleeting joy.
"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 at once a romantic interest and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and monetary insecurity. Threats from nefarious characters in the shadow economy seem minor next to the dread of state surveillance and jail time, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film stands as a heartfelt examination into resilience, found community, and the quest for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
