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Channelling the metropolitan unease and vibrancy of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s gripping drama focuses on those who inhabit the outskirts of an constantly evolving metropolis. Newly freed from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; abandoned by his parents, the wide-eyed 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 encounters Ronaldo (actor Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the flickering glow of a XXX cinema, their introductory rendezvous is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of sex work and selling drugs.

A Study of Understanding Rather Than Sensationalism

The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy rather than as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now using the alias Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and touching naivety. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.

In the hectic energy of São Paulo, filled with bustling alleyways and brightly painted facades, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls grasp at one another for temporary happiness.

"The urban landscape might be filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can forge familial bonds, 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 envy and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by dubious individuals in the criminal underworld seem minor next to the fear of institutional observation and imprisonment, epitomized by the constant sight of police officers in the area.

Baby is particularly impactful as a keen observation of the lost people who have slipped through the gaps the social system. The film functions as a heartfelt examination into making ends meet, found community, and the search for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.