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Channelling the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the innocent young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.

On an night on the town with his lively group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.

A Study of Understanding Rather Than Exploitation

The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now going by the name of Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with brash fearlessness and touching naivety. To his clients, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.

In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people grasp at one another for momentary bliss.

"The urban landscape can be fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."

A Complicated Dynamic of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Intimidation from nefarious characters in the shadow economy are overshadowed by the dread of institutional observation and jail time, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers in the area.

Baby is especially potent as an astute portrait of the lost people who have been failed by the established structure. The film stands as a poignant exploration into resilience, non-biological kinship, and the search for purpose within a harsh urban landscape.