Bill Gutentag’s “Rule Breakers” celebrates women in STEM through the inspiring true story of Roya Mahboob (Nikohl Boosheri) and her struggle to create an all-girls Afghan robotics team.

Released during Women’s History Month, the movie began showing in select nationwide theaters on March 7 but was only available in Conway theaters between March 12 and 16.

The movie’s official site at Angel Studios said, “In a nation where educating girls is seen as rebellion, a visionary woman dares to teach young minds to dream.”

“As threats loom and sacrifices are made, their courage and unity ignite a movement that could forever transform the world,” it said.

These words describe the tone and message of the movie perfectly.

“Rule Breakers” follows the ambitious Roya and her small band of four girls named Taara (Nina Hosseinzadeh), Haadiya (Sara Halal Rowe), Esin (Amber Afzali), and Arezo (Marian Saraj).

They fight against religious and societal oppression, threats, and even death in order to achieve their goal of showing that an all-girls robotics team from Afghanistan can indeed compete and win on the global stage.

The movie portrays heartfelt emotion which highlights the struggles of young women wanting to join the world of STEM in the modern day.

The two standouts of the movie were Boosheri’s Roya and Hosseinzadeh’s emotional performance as Tarra. 

Boosheri’s also known for her role in the 2017 TV series “The Bold Type” and she brings her acting experience into her portrayal of Roya which helps makes the movie feel professional.

Roya felt inspired by the words of her friend Samir Sinha (Ali Fazel) when he said, “If you want to help your country you’ve got to be an entrepreneur.” 

She then started a lot of schools and classes for the high school girls to learn computers before ultimately deciding to form an all-girls robotics team called the Afghan Dreamers.

Through her vision, she sparked a radical movement within the Islamic nations and the world for the education rights of women.

Hosseinzadeh’s portrayal of Tarra really highlights the emotional struggles and determination of young women in STEM.

Her character has a sense of strength despite the adversity and tragedies that befall her.

Tarra loves to create robots and learn about science and engineering and she refuses to let circumstances dictate whether or not she can succeed.

She acts as a wonderful role model and inspiration for any other young ladies in our world today who may not feel they have what it takes to make it in STEM due to their circumstances.

Through the movie’s themes and emotional character portrayals, Gutentag’s “Rule Breakers” manages to inspire and inform the world of what women can accomplish when they persevere.

It celebrates women and shows the realities of those who have little to no rights, and that is something society needs more of.