Rule Breakers (2025) Movie Review: A by-the-numbers underdog tale that is only sparingly inspiring

In light of the restrictions imposed on women in Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul in 2021, Bill Guttentag’s “Rule Breakers” couldn’t feel more urgent. It’s a story that relies on human resilience – women who stand up against all adversities to strive for recognition that is harder for them because of the relatively extremist and regressive regime that they live in. This would consequently mean that the movie that tells their tale should also be somewhat of a standout. Sadly, that’s not the case.

The only rule the movie breaks is being relatively secular about its stance while being distributed by the faith-based “Angel Studios.” I mean, there’s not a single shred of rule-breaking, or reinventing narrative conveniences in this tired, by-the-numbers underdog tale that is only sparingly inspiring. However, even the inspiring part should be attributed to the true story of the “Aghan Dreamers” that the film is based on. 

Written in a non-linear fashion that breaks its own rhythms before diverging to the linear, the happenings in “Rule Breakers” first introduce us to Roya Mahboob (Nikohl Boosheri). She is a young woman with a fascination for computers. The wonder machine that most of us are now thankful for was Roya’s big dream back in school. At a time when the better things were only reserved for the boys, Roya wasn’t able to take a swing at her dreams. However, once she got bigger – a repressive, authoritarian regime couldn’t take that away from her. 

What started as a secretive refuge – her first computer system at a local cafe, soon became even bigger when she decided to fight for computer classes at her university, later becoming the face of an international new piece. However, Roya’s ambitions only grew bigger as she decided that she would not just fight for her rights but for thousands of other Aghani girls who would never get what they wanted just because they were born in a land that thrives on controlling others. One thing led to another and a meeting with Indian entrepreneur Samir (Ali Faizal) propelled Roya to form a robotics team of young girls that could compete in International competitions; allowing attention and possible funding for others to follow pursuit. 

Now, “Rule Breakers” is not as straightforward as I make it sound. Like any other underdog story, there are a million hurdles that come in Roya and Ali’s (Roya’s constant support through thick and thin – played by Noorin Gulamgaus) way. Although these hurdles are so on the dot and cliched that you can predict them before they arrive. The four girls who form the team, namely Taara (Nina Hosseinzadeh), Haadiya (Sara Mala Rowe), Esin (Amberina Afzali), and Arezo (Mariam Saraj) are written in such a one-dimensional fashion that their struggles don’t even register before you are forced to cheer for them. 

It also doesn’t help that Bill Guttentag’s direction is pretty stilted with his western-gaze petering into every single frame. The questionable choice to directly make these characters talk in English without giving us any leeway into the internal and external politics of Afghanistan only makes the narrative drastically inert. Nikohl Boosheri is good as Roya and that guest appearance might raise an eyebrow, but beyond that, the film lacks any semblance of a memorable take on a story of resilience. It doesn’t help that the soundtrack is so jarring and out of place that you often just want to play it on mute. The choice to shoot in natural light also affects some of the sequences that are so dimly lit that you would wish that some AD on set would have paid some attention. 

Overall, if you want to see a more nuanced,  politically aware, and well-researched take on these wonderful girls I would recommend watching David Greenwald’s 2022 documentary “Afghan Dreamers” instead. In its current state “Rule Breakers” is just serviceable. 

Read More: You Gotta Believe (2024) Movie Review: This underdog little-leagues story is laden with cliches 

Rule Breakers (2025) Movie Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, Letterboxd
Rule Breakers (2025) Movie Cast: Nikohl Boosheri, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Ali Fazal, Sami Fekkak, Mustafa Haidari, Nasser Memarzia
Rule Breakers (2025) Movie Release Date: Mar 7th, 2025 | Genre: Drama | Runtime: 2hrs