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Channelling the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; deserted by his parents, the wide-eyed young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.

On an evening out with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Illuminated by the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is sensuous and erotic, with an hint of risk. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and selling drugs.

A Study of Empathy Rather Than Exploitation

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and poignant gullibility. To his patrons, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.

In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.

"The urban landscape might be fraught with peril, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, too."

A Complicated Relationship of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and financial instability. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the anxiety about state surveillance and incarceration, represented by the hovering figures of police officers making their rounds.

Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the social system. The film ultimately serves as a moving look into survival, non-biological kinship, and the search for purpose within a harsh urban landscape.