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Evoking the city's relentless energy and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an constantly evolving metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.

On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and selling drugs.

A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation

Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias 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 feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for temporary happiness.

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

A Complex Relationship of Love and Control

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and financial instability. Threats from shady figures in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the dread of institutional observation and jail time, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers in the area.

Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the established structure. The film ultimately serves as a moving examination into making ends meet, found community, and the search for self within a harsh urban landscape.