Levante
Brazilian drama about a high school student who discovers just before an important volleyball match of her school team that she is pregnant. Her search for an illegal abortion makes her the target of right-wing activists.
Sofia is the star of the volleyball team at her high school. With an all-important match coming up, she discovers that she is pregnant. In a country where abortion is illegal, her choices seem limited. Yet Sofia turns out not to be alone.
In her feature debut, Brazilian filmmaker Lillah Halla denounces the intolerant mentality that reared its head under Bolsonaro’s regime. The film is an ode to the power of friendship and the collective. And to a new Brazilian generation that dares to dream of a future where everyone is free to make their own life choices.
The plot of LEVANTE is based on the stories of young women who became victims of fake abortion clinics and other malpractices in contemporary Brazil. The film premiered at the Critics’ Week in Cannes and was awarded the FIPRESCI prize (an award of international film critics) for best film in the parallel sections of the festival. (mv)