🔗 Share this article Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of Queer Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System Channelling the urban restlessness and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others. On an evening out with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and selling drugs. A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Exploitation The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness. In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for temporary happiness. "The streets can be filled with danger, 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 guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the fear of government monitoring and imprisonment, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds. Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film functions as a heartfelt look into survival, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of self within a unforgiving urban landscape.