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Evoking the city's relentless energy and pulsating life of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama focuses 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) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man finds solace in the arms of others.

On an evening out with his lively group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler over double his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and selling drugs.

A Study of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.

In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as rootless people cling on to one another for temporary happiness.

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

A Complex Dynamic of Love and Control

Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and economic precarity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the shadow economy seem minor next to the anxiety about institutional observation and jail time, represented by the constant sight of police officers in the area.

Baby is especially potent as a keen observation of the lost people who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film stands as a poignant examination into making ends meet, non-biological kinship, and the quest for purpose within a harsh urban landscape.