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Capturing the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s bracing drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing 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 wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.

On an late-night excursion with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and drug dealing.

A Study of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with cocky bravado and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.

In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for temporary happiness.

"The city might be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."

A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Intimidation from shady figures in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the fear of government monitoring and incarceration, represented by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.

Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film stands as a heartfelt look into survival, found community, and the search for identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.