The Film Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order

Channelling the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.

On an night on the town with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.

A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.

In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for temporary happiness.

"The urban landscape might be fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, too."

A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Threats from nefarious characters in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the fear of government monitoring and incarceration, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers in the area.

Baby is particularly impactful as an astute portrait of the lost people who have been failed by the system. The film functions as a moving examination into survival, non-biological kinship, and the quest for self within a harsh urban landscape.