🔗 Share this article The Film Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order Channelling the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind 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 crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and drug dealing. A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness. In the hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people cling on to one another for temporary happiness. "The urban landscape might be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too." A Complex Relationship of Love and Control Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and economic precarity. Threats from nefarious characters in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the dread of institutional observation and jail time, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers on patrol. Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the social system. The film ultimately serves as a moving exploration into making ends meet, found community, and the pursuit of purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.