Cutting Through Rocks

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Cutting Through Rocks

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1h 34m

Documentary

Biography

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28 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

As the first elected councilwoman of her Iranian village, Sara Shahverdi aims to break long-held patriarchal traditions by training teenage girls to ride motorcycles and stopping child marriages. When accusations arise questioning Sara's intentions to empower the girls, her identity is put in turmoil.

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Critics Consensus

Both a stirring portrait of a determined trailblazer and a clear-eyed study of social inequity, Cutting Through Rocks is a visually-striking documentary that'll get the engine revving.

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Claudia Puig

FilmWeek (LAist)

Dec 31

Inspiring, really well-shot, and also quite moving.

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Peyton Robinson

RogerEbert.com

Nov 21

3/4

The film grants hope for the women of Iran through its thick-skinned subject, putting her resume and grit on display.

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Sheri Linden

New York Times

Nov 20

Khaki and Mohammadreza Eyni, who directed and edited the documentary, with Eyni also serving as cinematographer, have made a film that pulses with so much hopefulness that when Shahverdi’s story takes a shocking turn, it’s a punch to the solar plexus.

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Christopher Lloyd

The Film Yap

6d

4/5

An indelible portrait of a singularly scrappy, stubborn woman determined to force change in her deeply patriarchal Iranian village.

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Peter Keough

Arts Fuse

Feb 3

The film is inspiring but also dispiriting, a glimpse into a malignant society that’s not far removed from our own.

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Andrew Parker

The Gate

Dec 11

7/10

This could benefit from some additional external perspective, but as a series of well observed moments that resonate on a level that most viewers will be able to understand, Cutting Through Rocks is worth the struggle.

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Jonathan K

@aFIREintheattic 1d

Gratifying until it very much was not. I was ready to come on here and say the future is female, but in Iran it still seems like it very much is not. Pretty depressing in the end. Maddeningly regressive. Not the doc... Iran. Or the world, I guess. Yeah, the world. * sigh * I'm told the moral arc of the universe bends or something like that. As a documentary, it's raw and feels completely unstaged, even in moments that must have required some setup. The central figure is strong, relentless, and an interesting character study. I would watch an entire series about her fighting for the women and girls in her village and country.

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Nate S

@Nate78 Feb 18

A great documentary that shows everyday life in Iran, relationships between people, and Sarah's tireless energy to improve the lives of people. I highly recommend seeing this one.

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Nov 21

The worldwide gross is $7,066.00.

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Mohammadreza Eyni

Director

Sara Khaki

Director

Eyni Sara Khaki

Director

Mohammad Reza Eyni

Director

Eyni Sara Khaki

Producer

Mohammad Reza Eyni

Producer

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Synopsis

As the first elected councilwoman of her Iranian village, Sara Shahverdi aims to break long-held patriarchal traditions by training teenage girls to ride motorcycles and stopping child marriages. When accusations arise questioning Sara's intentions to empower the girls, her identity is put in turmoil.

Director: Mohammadreza Eyni, Sara Khaki, Eyni Sara Khaki, Mohammad Reza Eyni
Producer: Eyni Sara Khaki, Mohammad Reza Eyni
Production Co: Gandom Films Production
Genre: Documentary, Biography
Original Language: Persian
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 21, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 1h 34m