Cutting Through Rocks

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Cutting Through Rocks

2025

1h 34m

Documentary

Biography

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26 Reviews

Popcornmeter

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.

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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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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Joel Copling

Spectrum Culture

Nov 25

A standard but engaging profile of Shahverdi that functions more effectively as a portrait of the contemporary politics in her region.

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Gregory Nussen

Screen Rant

Nov 24

7/10

Khaki and Eyni deliver the reminder that, sometimes all it takes to engender political power is the desire to earnestly speak for those you represent.

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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