🔗 Share this article Baby Review: An Astute Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System Evoking the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from 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 boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and narcotics trafficking. A Study of Understanding Instead of Exploitation The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with brash fearlessness and endearing innocence. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness. In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for momentary bliss. "The urban landscape might be filled with danger, yet they are 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 relationship is derailed by envy and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the criminal underworld are overshadowed by the dread of institutional observation and jail time, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds. Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film stands as a moving examination into making ends meet, found community, and the quest for purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.