The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System

Channelling the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an constantly evolving metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.

On an late-night excursion with his lively group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and drug dealing.

A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation

The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts 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 hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.

"The urban landscape are filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."

A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the shadow economy seem minor next to the dread of government monitoring and jail time, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.

Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt examination into resilience, found community, and the pursuit of purpose within a demanding urban landscape.