Channelling the city's relentless energy and vibrancy of São Paulo, filmmaker Caetano's bracing drama centres on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the innocent 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 encounters Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler significantly older than his age. Shrouded in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their introductory rendezvous is physical and passionate, with an edge of danger. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of the sex trade and selling drugs.
The film illustrates Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now using the alias Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with swaggering confidence and poignant gullibility. To his customers, Wellington lends not only his youth and his body, but also moments of care.
In the feverish excitement of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a persistent isolation, as adrift individuals hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.
"The urban landscape are filled with danger, yet they are also the space where they can find their own family, too."
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their bond is sabotaged by jealousy and monetary insecurity. Dangers posed by nefarious characters in the underworld seem minor next to the anxiety about institutional observation and jail time, epitomized by the hovering figures of police officers on patrol.
Baby is especially potent as a perceptive study of the forgotten souls who have fallen through the cracks the system. The film ultimately serves as a poignant look into survival, found community, and the pursuit of purpose within a harsh urban landscape.
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