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Capturing the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's unflinching drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.

On an evening out with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and selling drugs.

A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Exploitation

Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias 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 fleeting acts of kindness.

In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people grasp at one another for fleeting joy.

"The city might be filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can discover chosen kin, too."

A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by jealousy and economic precarity. Threats from shady figures in the underworld are overshadowed by the anxiety about state surveillance and incarceration, represented by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.

Baby is most powerful as a keen observation 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, found community, and the pursuit of purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.