[1] The film traces the story of Sócrates, a black 15-year-old teenager from Santos, in the coast of São Paulo, as he has to overcome extreme poverty, the death of his mother, and homophobia.

[9] "After his mother's sudden death, Sócrates, a 15-year-old living on the margins of São Paulo's coast, must survive on his own while coming to terms with his grief," dire economic situation, family strife, homophobia, abuse, lust, and love.

"[10] It was produced by acclaimed filmmaker and Columbia University associate film professor Ramin Bahrani, who Moratto counts as a mentor.

[14][15] Moratto has spoken openly about the film's personal themes, which came from his experiences as a volunteer at the Querô Institute in Brazil when he was 19-years-old, as well as his mother's death when he was 25-years-old.

[16] Speaking to these themes, he has stated that the greatest tragedy in the world is not just hunger and poverty, but also a lack of love, and that he hopes that film can create more empathy for people like Socrates.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Brought brilliantly to life by Christian Malheiros' soulful performance, Socrates uses one boy's story to check a nation's pulse.

[25] The New York Times selected it as a Critic's Pick, where it was reviewed by Jeannette Catsoulis, who wrote, "'Socrates' isn’t simply about being gay, or poor, or even devastatingly unloved: It’s about honoring a resilience that most of us will thankfully never have to summon.

"[31] In Variety, critic Dennis Harvey wrote "Malheiros’ terrific turn makes this protagonist credibly tough by necessity, and mature beyond his years.