The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System
Evoking the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and drug dealing.
A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The city are fraught with peril, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the underworld seem minor next to the dread of state surveillance and imprisonment, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the lost people who have been failed by the system. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt exploration into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the search for self within a harsh urban landscape.
