Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order
Channelling the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's unflinching drama centres on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler more than twice his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and selling drugs.
A Study of Understanding Instead of Exploitation
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The city are fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."
A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and financial instability. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the shadow economy seem minor next to the anxiety about government monitoring and imprisonment, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film functions as a poignant exploration into making ends meet, found community, and the pursuit of purpose within a harsh urban landscape.