🔗 Share this article Baby Review: An Astute Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System Capturing the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed young man finds solace in the arms of others. On an late-night excursion with his lively group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and selling drugs. A Study of Empathy Instead of Sensationalism The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness. In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for momentary bliss. "The streets are riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too." A Complex Relationship of Love and Control Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the dread of government monitoring and incarceration, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol. Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film ultimately serves as a poignant exploration into survival, chosen family, and the pursuit of identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.