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Capturing the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.

On an evening out with his boisterous group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and selling drugs.

A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Exploitation

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.

In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.

"The city can be filled with danger, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."

A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control

Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by envy and financial instability. Intimidation from shady figures in the underworld are overshadowed by the dread of state surveillance and incarceration, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.

Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film ultimately serves as a moving exploration into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of self within a harsh urban landscape.