Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order

Evoking the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.

On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and drug dealing.

A Study of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation

Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.

In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people grasp at one another for fleeting joy.

"The streets are fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, too."

A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and economic precarity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the dread of institutional observation and imprisonment, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers in the area.

Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt look into resilience, chosen family, and the pursuit of identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.