🔗 Share this article Baby Review: A Sharp Depiction of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the Established Order Evoking the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man discovers refuge in the arms of others. On an late-night excursion with his lively group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler more than twice his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and selling drugs. A Study of Empathy Instead of Sensationalism The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness. In the hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people cling on to one another for temporary happiness. "The streets can be riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too." A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the shadow economy seem minor next to the anxiety about state surveillance and imprisonment, represented by the hovering figures of police officers in the area. Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film functions as a poignant exploration into making ends meet, found community, and the search for self within a demanding urban landscape.