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Capturing the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the innocent young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.

On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.

A Portrait of Empathy Instead of Sensationalism

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.

In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for fleeting joy.

"The urban landscape are riddled with risk, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."

A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Threats from shady figures in the underworld are overshadowed by the anxiety about state surveillance and incarceration, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.

Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film functions as a moving exploration into survival, chosen family, and the search for identity within a demanding urban landscape.