"The New York Times" film critic, Vincent Canby, liked the neo-realist acting and direction of the drama, and wrote, ""," the third feature film by the Argentine-born Brazilian director Hector Babenco, is a finely made, uncompromisingly grim movie about the street boys of São Paulo, in particular about Pixote - which, according to the program, translates roughly as "Peewee"...The performances are almost too good to be true, but Mr. Da Silva and Miss Pera are splendid. "Pixote" is not for the weak of stomach. A lot of the details are tough to take, but it is neither exploitative nor pretentious. Mr. Babenco shows us rock-bottom, and because he is an artist, he makes us believe it as well all of the possibilities that have been lost."