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Channelling the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, director Marcelo Caetano's gripping drama centres on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting 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 night on the town with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Bathed in the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and drug dealing.

A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Exploitation

Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters 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, overflowing with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people grasp at one another for fleeting joy.

"The city can be riddled with risk, 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 envy and financial instability. Intimidation from dubious individuals in the underworld are overshadowed by the fear of government monitoring and incarceration, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.

Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the social system. The film ultimately serves as a heartfelt examination into making ends meet, chosen family, and the quest for identity within a demanding urban landscape.