The new movie, “Rule Breakers”, premiered in theatres on March 7th of this year, just in time for National Women’s History Month. In my opinion, this movie is a must-watch, especially for those interested in intersectionality theory. The Angel Studios production staring Nikohl Boosheri, Ali Fazal, and Pheobe Waller Bridge follows the true story of the first ever girl’s robotics team in Afghanistan. The Afghan Girls Dreamers team was co-founded by Nikohl Mahboob and Alizera Mehraban in 2017. The team consisting of 12 teenage girls and their mentors was based in Herat, Afghanistan where they were subject to significant cultural, social, and political obstacles.
The movie depicts the stigma they faced in their community, as a girl’s robotics team was unacceptable in their culture. The team faces great hardship leading up to their competitions as well at the hands of the Taliban. While they do persevere, the girls show vulnerability as well. When a threat is made or they may lose a competition, they are visibly upset and panicked. It is common in media that women in these situations are labeled as “strong women” because they endure so much. However, this statement can be harmful as it leaves no room for women to be weak or human. This is what makes “Rule Breakers”’s emotional portrayal of women so significant.
In recent years, the American feminist movement seems to have shifted its focus to more social issues, which caters to more privileged women. While these issues are important, it leaves behind disadvantaged women, including those in Afghanistan. Part of this is because as people, it is very easy to be short sighted and focus on the issues affecting your country. No matter how aware we all think we are, we all have our blind spots. These factors make it ever so important that people in our (rather privileged) community watch this movie to step outside of our bubble for a moment. The writers also did an excellent job at writing female characters, including their interactions with men. To me, it can sometimes take away from an empowering story about a woman when most of it revolves around a love interest. Here, the story was very focused on the team, and while relationships did exist of course, they did not distract from the main plot-line at all. Whether you consider yourself a feminist or not, I recommend this movie with my whole heart. It was very engaging, and I found myself invested in the characters. The message is inspiring, and you will likely leave the theater with a smile and a lot to think about.
