Capturing the metropolitan unease and dynamic spirit of São Paulo, Marcelo Caetano’s unflinching drama zooms in on those who live on the fringes of an perpetually shifting metropolis. Fresh out of juvenile prison, 18-year-old Wellington (the actor João Pedro Mariano) faces a critical turning point; deserted by his parents, the wide-eyed young man finds solace in the arms of others.
On an night on the town with his rowdy group of gay and non-binary friends, Wellington crosses paths with Ronaldo (Ricardo Teodoro), a strapping, magnetic hustler significantly older than his age. Bathed in the wavering neon of a XXX cinema, their initial encounter is physical and passionate, with an tinge of peril. Ronaldo quickly introduces Wellington to the clandestine realm of prostitution and drug dealing.
The director portrays Wellington’s new life of crime with gentle sympathy instead of as a melodramatic morality play. Now adopting the moniker Baby, he enters his commercial trysts with brash fearlessness and poignant gullibility. 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 crowded backstreets and brightly painted facades, there’s a persistent isolation, as rootless people grasp at one another for temporary happiness.
"The streets can be fraught with peril, yet they are where they can forge familial bonds, too."
Ronaldo is simultaneously a partner and a guardian-like mentor to Wellington, but their relationship is derailed by envy and economic precarity. Threats from dubious individuals in the criminal underworld pale in comparison to the fear of institutional observation and incarceration, represented by the looming presence of police officers in the area.
Baby is particularly impactful as a perceptive study of the disenfranchised individuals who have fallen through the cracks the established structure. The film functions as a poignant look into survival, chosen family, and the quest for self within a unforgiving urban landscape.
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