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Evoking the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama centres on those who live on the fringes of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.

On an late-night excursion with his lively group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and drug dealing.

A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism

The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.

In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people grasp at one another for fleeting joy.

"The streets can be fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, too."

A Complicated Relationship of Love and Control

Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and economic precarity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the shadow economy seem minor next to the anxiety about institutional observation and jail time, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.

Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the disenfranchised individuals who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film functions as a moving look into survival, chosen family, and the search for purpose within a harsh urban landscape.