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

Channelling the urban restlessness and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.

On an night on the town with his lively group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and drug dealing.

A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Exploitation

The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.

In the hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for fleeting joy.

"The streets might be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."

A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control

Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and economic precarity. Threats from nefarious characters in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the fear of institutional observation and incarceration, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds.

Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the lost people who have been failed by the system. The film functions as a moving examination into survival, found community, and the pursuit of purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.