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Evoking the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.

On an evening out with his boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and selling drugs.

A Study of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism

Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.

In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals cling on to one another for momentary bliss.

"The streets are riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, too."

A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the underworld are overshadowed by the anxiety about state surveillance and incarceration, represented by the looming presence of police officers on patrol.

Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film ultimately serves as a moving examination into making ends meet, chosen family, and the quest for identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.