The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System

Channelling the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.

On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and selling drugs.

A Study of Empathy Instead of Exploitation

Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.

In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people cling on to one another for momentary bliss.

"The streets are fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."

A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control

Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and economic precarity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the underworld seem minor next to the dread of government monitoring and imprisonment, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.

Baby is particularly impactful as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film functions as a heartfelt exploration into survival, found community, and the search for identity within a demanding urban landscape.