🔗 Share this article Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order Evoking the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's unflinching drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others. On an night on the town with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and narcotics trafficking. A Portrait of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care. In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people cling on to one another for fleeting joy. "The city might be riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too." A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and financial instability. Threats from shady figures in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the dread of state surveillance and incarceration, epitomized by the looming presence of police officers in the area. Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film stands as a heartfelt examination into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the search for purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.