Evoking the urban restlessness and pulsating life of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama zooms in on those who inhabit the outskirts of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Recently released from juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (João Pedro Mariano) finds himself at a crossroads; left behind by his parents, the wide-eyed young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an evening out with his lively group of LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a muscular, charming hustler over double his age. Bathed in the pulsating light of a adult movie theater, their first meeting is intimate and charged, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo swiftly initiates Wellington to the shadowy world of sex work and drug dealing.
Caetano depicts Wellington’s new life of crime with tender empathy instead of as a sensationalist cautionary tale. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he engages in his paid liaisons with cocky bravado and endearing innocence. To his customers, Wellington provides not just his youth and his body, but also instances of tenderness.
In the electrifying chaos of São Paulo, filled with crowded backstreets and colourful shopfronts, there’s a deep-seated solitude, as unmoored souls hold fast to one another for momentary bliss.
"The urban landscape might be fraught with peril, yet they are where they can discover chosen kin, too."
Ronaldo is both a lover and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by possessiveness and economic precarity. Intimidation from shady figures in the underworld pale in comparison to the fear of government monitoring and incarceration, symbolized by the constant sight of police officers making their rounds.
Baby is most powerful as an astute portrait of the forgotten souls who have been failed by the social system. The film stands as a heartfelt exploration into survival, chosen family, and the quest for identity within a harsh urban landscape.
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