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Channelling the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's gripping drama zooms in on those who live on the fringes of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.

On an evening out with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.

A Study of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.

In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people cling on to one another for momentary bliss.

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

A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control

Ronaldo is both a lover and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the shadow economy are overshadowed by the dread of government monitoring and imprisonment, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.

Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the lost people who have been failed by the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a moving look into resilience, chosen family, and the quest for self within a harsh urban landscape.