A star player gets pregnant and is harassed by the religious right in this tense and engaging film

Brazilian film-maker Lillah Halla has created a punchy drama about sisterhood and queer solidarity in the face of bigoted Bolsonaro-era attitudes. It’s an engaging watch, but it’s let down a bit by the convenient ending facilitated by a slightly unfocused melodramatic finale.

The setting is São Paulo, where a youth volleyball team is poised to win a championship. The star player is 17-year-old Sofía (Ayomi Domenica Dias), who is herself about to clinch a life-changing sports scholarship. (The “power alley” of the title means a thrilling cross-court shot that travels from one corner of the court to the opponents’ corner; the film’s original title, Levante, means “rise up”.) But Sofía is pregnant, which could change everything – and there are serious legal obstacles to getting abortions in Brazil.