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Channelling the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed young man finds solace in the arms of others.

On an night on the town with his rowdy group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and selling drugs.

A Portrait of Understanding Instead of Exploitation

The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.

In the hectic energy of São Paulo, overflowing with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for fleeting joy.

"The city might be riddled with risk, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."

A Complicated Dynamic of Love and Control

Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and economic precarity. Threats from shady figures in the shadow economy pale in comparison to the dread of state surveillance and imprisonment, represented by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.

Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the system. The film stands as a heartfelt look into resilience, found community, and the pursuit of purpose within a demanding urban landscape.