🔗 Share this article Baby Review: A Sharp Portrait of LGBTQ+ Brazilian Hustlers Adrift in the System Channelling the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who exist on the margins of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man discovers refuge in the arms of others. On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and drug dealing. A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Exploitation The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness. In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people cling on to one another for momentary bliss. "The streets are filled with danger, yet they are where they can find their own family, too." A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and economic precarity. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the underworld pale in comparison to the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, symbolized by the looming presence of police officers making their rounds. Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film ultimately serves as a poignant look into resilience, found community, and the search for purpose within a demanding urban landscape.