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Channelling the metropolitan unease and pulsating life of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's unflinching drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed 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 crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler significantly older than his age. Illuminated by the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and drug dealing.

A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism

Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a exploitative warning story. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.

In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, teeming with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people grasp at one another for temporary happiness.

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

A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and economic precarity. Threats from shady figures in the underworld are overshadowed by the fear of government monitoring and jail time, represented by the looming presence of police officers in the area.

Baby is particularly impactful as an astute portrait of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film functions as a moving examination into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the pursuit of purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.