The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System

Capturing the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.

On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and selling drugs.

A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Exploitation

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, 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 colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for fleeting joy.

"The city can be fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."

A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the underworld pale in comparison to the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, represented by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.

Baby is most powerful as a keen observation of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film functions as a poignant examination into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the quest for identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.