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Evoking the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.

On an evening out with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.

A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his clients, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.

In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people cling on to one another for momentary bliss.

"The city are fraught with peril, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."

A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by jealousy and economic precarity. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the dread of state surveillance and jail time, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.

Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have slipped through the gaps the system. The film functions as a moving look into survival, non-biological kinship, and the search for purpose within a demanding urban landscape.