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Evoking the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's unflinching drama focuses on those who live on the fringes 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 innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.

On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Bathed in the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and narcotics trafficking.

A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism

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 enters his commercial trysts 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, filled with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people grasp at one another for temporary happiness.

"The urban landscape might be fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."

A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and financial instability. Dangers posed by shady figures in the underworld are overshadowed by the dread of government monitoring and imprisonment, epitomized by the hovering figures 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 established structure. The film stands as a poignant examination into survival, non-biological kinship, and the search for purpose within a demanding urban landscape.