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Channelling the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama focuses on those who live on the fringes of an constantly evolving metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man finds solace in the arms of others.

On an late-night excursion with his boisterous group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the flickering glow of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is intimate and charged, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of prostitution and narcotics trafficking.

A Study of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism

Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his clients, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care.

In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, overflowing with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for temporary happiness.

"The streets might be fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."

A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and economic precarity. Intimidation from shady figures in the underworld pale in comparison to the anxiety about institutional observation and imprisonment, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.

Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the system. The film ultimately serves as a moving examination into survival, found community, and the pursuit of purpose within a unforgiving urban landscape.