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

Capturing the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.

On an night on the town with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and drug dealing.

A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Sensationalism

The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.

In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.

"The city are riddled with risk, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."

A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control

Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the fear of government monitoring and imprisonment, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.

Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film functions as a moving look into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the quest for self within a demanding urban landscape.