Rule Breakers

"Some rules are made to be broken."

2025 2h 2m EN

🙌

7.6

BANGER

★7.6TMDB · 26

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In a nation where educating girls is seen as rebellion, a visionary woman dares to teach young minds to dream. When their innovation draws global attention, their success sparks hope—and opposition. As threats loom and sacrifices are made, their courage and unity ignite a movement that could forever transform the world.

“Some rules are made to be broken.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Nikohl Boosheri
Roya Mahboob
Noorin Gulamgaus
Ali Mahboob
Amber Afzali
Esin
Nina Hosseinzadeh
Taara
Sara Malal Rowe
Haadiya
Mariam Saraj
Arezo
Nasser Memarzia
Abdul
Ali Fazal
Samir Khan

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Bill Guttentag
Writers: Bill Guttentag, Jason Brown, Elaha Mahboob
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 20% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released last year.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Bill Guttentag, shot by John Pardue. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jeff Beal. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Hibah Schweitzer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Nikohl Boosheri and Noorin Gulamgaus and Amber Afzali carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Some rules are made to be broken.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt23398348 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Bill Guttentag directs. John Pardue behind the camera. Jeff Beal scores. Hibah Schweitzer cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 20% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released last year.
3Directed by Bill Guttentag, shot by John Pardue. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jeff Beal. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Hibah Schweitzer shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Nikohl Boosheri and Noorin Gulamgaus and Amber Afzali carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Some rules are made to be broken.".
8IMDB entry: tt23398348 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 26 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: John Pardue
Original score: Jeff Beal
Editing: Hibah Schweitzer
Runtime: 122 min · 2h 2m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $15,000,000
Box office: $2,972,865
Return: 20% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Rule Breakers (2025)

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Bill Guttentag

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Brent Marchant2025-07-01
★ 6/10
Movies about underdogs overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds often have a relatively easy time of winning over viewers thanks to their inspiring narratives. This is especially true for fact-based stories, as well as films that have a particularly strong family-friendly vibe associated with them. At the same time, though, these productions also run the risk of overdoing it when it comes to these qualities, and such is very much the case here. The film tells the tale of the Afghan Dreamers Robotics Team, a quartet of passionate, inventive high school girls (Amber Afzali, Nina Hosseinzadeh, Sara Malal Rowe, Mariam Saraj) who achieved wide acclaim for their ingenious mechanical creations. They were inspired by their coach and mentor, Roya Mahboob (Nikohl Boosheri), an Afghan computer coder who made it her mission to introduce the young women of her country to the opportunities available through a pioneering technology little known to them. And so, with the assistance of her brother, Ali (Noorin Gulamgaus), a generous computer entrepreneur, Samir Sinha (Ali Fazal), and other assorted benefactors, Mahboob built a team that successfully participated in a number of international robotic competitions. Achieving that objective wasn’t easy, however, given the many challenges the Dreamers faced in terms of finding funding, acquiring materials to build their creations, and overcoming resistance from the chauvinistic Afghan male population who generally didn’t believe that their country’s women were worthy of being educated, let alone be allowed to engage in activities like this. Writer-director Bill Guttentag’s latest feature manages to check off all the requisite boxes for a film of this stripe, but it frequently tends to go overboard in delivering its messages, stressing points that are easy to grasp without having to browbeat audiences. What’s more, the approach taken in assembling this release is far from original, rigidly following an outline that’s highly formulaic, predictable and by the numbers, leaving little to the imagination, even without having knowledge of the particulars of this saga in advance. To its credit, the picture makes some fine, uplifting points about commitment, determination and innovation, as well as the value of equal educational opportunities for women. It also features some clever cinematography, an eclectic soundtrack and commendable performances by a crop of largely newcomers. And, as evidenced here, the impact of Mahboob’s efforts to foster women’s academic and vocational aspirations was truly significant, having planted seeds of change to shift the culture during the years between the overthrow of the repressive Taliban regime and its subsequent return to power. Sadly, though, as undeniably important as this story is, it genuinely deserved a better film than what has been presented through this sorely underwhelming effort.

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