Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the System

Capturing the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.

On an evening out with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and selling drugs.

A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with cocky bravado and touching naivety. To his clients, 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 brightly painted facades, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for momentary bliss.

"The streets are riddled with risk, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."

A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control

Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Intimidation from shady figures in the shadow economy are overshadowed by the fear of state surveillance and jail time, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.

Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film stands as a poignant look into making ends meet, found community, and the pursuit of self within a demanding urban landscape.