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Capturing the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an constantly evolving metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.

On an evening out with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the flickering glow of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.

A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and endearing innocence. To his clients, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.

In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and vibrant storefronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.

"The urban landscape can be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."

A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and economic precarity. Dangers posed by shady figures in the underworld seem minor next to the dread of institutional observation and incarceration, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.

Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt exploration into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of self within a unforgiving urban landscape.