🔗 Share this article The Film Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Lost in the Established Order Evoking the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's gripping drama zooms in 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) 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 lively group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and drug dealing. A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care. In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for momentary bliss. "The city can be filled with danger, yet they are where they can find their own family, too." A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by envy and monetary insecurity. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the underworld are overshadowed by the dread of institutional observation and imprisonment, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area. Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film stands as a moving exploration into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of self within a unforgiving urban landscape.