BABY

18-year-old Wellington wanders the streets of São Paulo, having just been released from juvie. The bridges of communication between himself and his parents have been burned to the ground, and he lacks the resources to rebuild his life. An encounter with the much older and more mature Ronaldo will aid him on his journey, but the passionate relationship that blossoms between them won’t be without its thorns. Queer erotic drama revolving around a relationship that goes against the odds, a story of a rough coming-of-age in the far from idyllic contemporary Brazil, or a leap of faith towards pivotal encounters with life-changing people? Marcelo Caetano’s multifaceted film answers in the affirmative to all of the above, tenderly and honestly embracing his characters in their entirety, flaws, contradictions, inalienable right to err, and all.