🔗 Share this article

Evoking the urban restlessness and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama zooms in on those who exist on the margins of an ever-changing metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; left behind by his parents, the impressionable young man discovers refuge in the arms of others.

On an late-night excursion with his rowdy group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a hunky, charismatic hustler more than twice his age. Shrouded in the wavering neon of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the clandestine realm of the sex trade and selling drugs.

A Study of Understanding Instead of Sensationalism

Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington offers more than his youth and his body, but also moments of care.

In the hectic energy of São Paulo, teeming with busy lanes and brightly painted facades, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as rootless people hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.

"The urban landscape are riddled with risk, yet they are also the space where they can discover chosen kin, too."

A Complex Relationship of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and financial instability. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the shadow economy seem minor next to the anxiety about institutional observation and imprisonment, symbolized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.

Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the lost people who have been failed by the system. The film ultimately serves as a moving exploration into survival, found community, and the search for purpose within a demanding urban landscape.