Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System

Evoking the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping 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) 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 rowdy group of queer 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 neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and selling drugs.

A Study of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism

The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his clients, 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 gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for fleeting joy.

"The streets can be filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."

A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers in the area.

Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the social system. The film ultimately serves as a moving examination into making ends meet, found community, and the pursuit of identity within a harsh urban landscape.