Ticketworthy! - Rule Breakers

To be honest, Rule Breakers is not a movie I had high expectations for. Neither the director, Bill Guttentag, nor the production studio, Angel Studios, are exactly known for their hits, and there’s no big-name star in the cast to sell the whole thing. However, much like the movie’s characters, it is a huge mistake to underestimate this film.

The movie tells the true story of Roya Mahboob, played brilliantly by Nikohl Boosheri, a young tech entrepreneur from Afghanistan. Roya has dreams of teaching other women how to use computers, something previously forbidden in Afghanistan and still very much frowned upon. Roya’s efforts to create computer classes for high-school girls are met with contempt at best, and outright assassination attempts at worst. Roya, however, is undeterred. To promote her initiative and prove the value of the classes she offers, she starts an all-girls robotics team to compete in international competitions.

As inspiring as Roya’s story is by itself, it’s when the team forms that the movie really takes off. All four girls on the team are wonderfully acted and incredibly easy to like. In the face of adversity after adversity, they somehow still radiate a hopefulness and joy that is infectious. Watching them compete in the robotics competitions, interact with people outside of their culture, and realize that their dreams are not only valid but achievable is just about as heartwarming as one could ask for from a feel-good movie like this.

If there is a complaint to be made, it may be that the movie is a bit too long. Two hours is hardly an uncommon runtime these days, but there are several scenes in Rule Breakers that simply were not needed and brought down an otherwise well-paced movie. For instance, there is a scene where the girls visit a German club that adds almost nothing to the story. It’s a jarring waste of time that grinds the plot to a halt right when the pace of the story is picking up. I can’t complain too much about the script or direction, which are both mostly excellent, but trimming a little fat off wouldn’t have hurt.

If the filmmakers were determined to get to that two-hour mark, some of that excess time might have been better spent on the girls themselves, their relationships with each other, and their backstories. The movie touches on these things and what we see of them is all great. In particular, the scenes where the girls bond with one another are perhaps the best parts of the entire movie. As a result, though, it’s tough not to want more of that. Especially when there are so many other moments that don’t matter and probably shouldn’t have made it past editing.

The soundtrack also leaves something to be desired. Sports movies (and make no mistake, this is a sports movie) can live or die by the proper use of their soundtrack. The right song at the right moment can inspire the audience or convey the joy or sorrow that the characters are feeling. The movie tries to do this, and on occasion succeeds, but not enough. There were multiple times I found myself waiting for the music to make me feel something, only to be disappointed.

These minor complaints aside, Rule Breakers remains a shockingly well-made and inspiring film. Its girl-power message, phenomenal cast, and moving story are simply too good not to recommend. It isn’t the biggest budget movie, nor the most heavily marketed, and it would be easy to write it off. Give it a chance, however, and it won’t let you down.