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Capturing the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.

On an evening out with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a XXX cinema, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and narcotics trafficking.

A Study of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation

Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.

In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with bustling alleyways and vibrant storefronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for momentary bliss.

"The urban landscape are filled with danger, yet they are the place where they can forge familial bonds, too."

A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and economic precarity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the fear of institutional observation and jail time, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.

Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film functions as a heartfelt look into survival, chosen family, and the quest for purpose within a harsh urban landscape.