Channelling the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's gripping drama focuses on those who exist on the margins of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) stands at a pivotal juncture; left behind by his parents, the innocent young man seeks comfort in the arms of others.
On an late-night excursion with his lively group of queer and non-binary friends, Wellington meets Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler over double his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a neon-lit porn cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the underground scene of sex work and selling drugs.
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with compassionate understanding as opposed to as a exploitative warning story. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and touching naivety. To his patrons, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also fleeting acts of kindness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as adrift individuals grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets are fraught with peril, yet they are the place where they can find their own family, too."
Ronaldo is at once a romantic interest and a sheltering paternal presence to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by possessiveness and monetary insecurity. Threats from dubious individuals in the underworld seem minor next to the fear of institutional observation and jail time, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers on patrol.
Baby is most powerful as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have been failed by the social system. The film functions as a heartfelt exploration into survival, chosen family, and the search for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
