While I am not a roboticist or much of a programmer, I adore STEM and movies about smart, driven people. So while Rule Breakers has some filmmaking and screenwriting problems, they aren’t big enough to have wiped the near constant smile I had on my face as I watched this lovely and important film.

The film is about the Afghan girls robotics team and their struggle to be taken seriously, especially in a patriarchal society. It follows their leader as she, against the rules, learns computers and programming in the early 2000s. She turns that into a chance for her Afghan girls’ robotics team to compete internationally.

This is a slightly imperfect film. Sometimes its editing is a bit confusing, production value a little low, and it’s noticeably apolitical. The Taliban and the American occupation only come up a few times. The general attitude towards girls’ education is present but feels a little hand-waving at times. This might strike some people as unrealistic and I get it. The film is also in English which might strike some as disrespectful too.

But it isn’t focused on big geopolitical issues so much as the day to day lives of women and girls in Afghanistan. And the heartwarming, inspirational, and aspirational nature of the robotics teams and the four teen girls who leave their home to compete. The focus was on just being a warm hug of a film that didn’t need or want too much depressing content so I give it a pass. I felt GOOD watching it. I felt happy and inspired.

And I’m rating the film for how happy and warm it was. It’s an inspiring film that has a good heart and a good message not mired by hate or conflict. So I’m choosing to ignore some of its flaws in favor of its virtues. I really adored this heartfelt and lovely film.

Score: 91