Yekta Heidari

When it resumed control of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban among other things banned girls from learning past the sixth grade. This mention in the epilogue of Rule Breakers casts a bitter shadow over this family drama meant to celebrate the power of knowledge. Set largely between 2017 and 2019, Rule Breakers dramatizes the story of real-life Afghan entrepreneur Roya Mahboob, who after launching her own software company formed a high school girls’ robotics team, defying her country’s gender norms and traditions. Despite pushback from some relatives and political tensions, the girls earned medals in robotics competitions around the world.Rule Breakers has its heart in such the right place that it’s hard not to root for its characters and its positive message of brain power. The film is most enjoyable at the competitions, where organizers note how technology unites people beyond politics and the girls meet other youths who light up with the same excitement over science.