The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Channelling the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's unflinching 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; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his boisterous 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 pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.
A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with brash fearlessness and endearing innocence. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for temporary happiness.
"The urban landscape might be riddled with risk, yet they are 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 relationship is derailed by jealousy and financial instability. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the shadow economy are overshadowed by the anxiety about institutional observation and incarceration, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is particularly impactful as an astute portrait of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt examination into making ends meet, found community, and the quest for purpose within a harsh urban landscape.
