🔗 Share this article

Evoking the urban restlessness and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching 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) faces a critical turning point; abandoned by his parents, the impressionable young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.

On an evening out with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler more than twice his age. Illuminated by the wavering neon of a neon-lit porn cinema, their first meeting is sensuous and erotic, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo promptly ushers Wellington to the underground scene of the sex trade and drug dealing.

A Portrait of Empathy Rather Than Sensationalism

Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy as opposed to as a melodramatic morality play. Now going by the name of Baby, he approaches his transactional encounters with swaggering confidence and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also moments of care.

In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, overflowing with busy lanes and vibrant storefronts, there’s a gnawing loneliness, as unmoored souls cling on to one another for momentary bliss.

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

A Complex Dynamic of Affection and Power

Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a protective father figure to Wellington, but their connection is thrown off course by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the underworld pale in comparison to the anxiety about state surveillance and jail time, represented by the constant sight of police officers in the area.

Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the established structure. The film functions as a moving exploration into survival, found community, and the pursuit of identity within a unforgiving urban landscape.