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Girl Rising

Girl Rising

One Girl with Courage is a Revolution

2013101 minPG-13Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Director
Richard Robbins
Starring
Liam Neeson, Anne Hathaway, Freida Pinto, Alicia Keys

Nine filmmakers each profile a young girl from a different part of the world to weave a global tapestry of youth in the 21st century.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Girl Rising?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Girl Rising streaming on Cineverse via Prime Video and to rent or buy on Apple TV.

Subscription

via Prime Video

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Girl Rising?

Girl Rising earns 5 badges, led by Star-studded and Preferred by Women.

  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Cast

Reception

Is Girl Rising worth watching?

Girl Rising's Midcredits score is the 81st percentile of all films, from 2.7K ratings across 6 sources. 69% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

81st percentile

Better received than 81% of films

56th percentile among Documentary81st percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)83rd
Approval (how many liked it)77th

71 /100

83rd percentile of all films

56th percentile among Documentary82nd percentile among 2010s

Critics 59 · Audience 72

Audiences liked it more than critics did.

Rating distribution

Big peaks at both ends — people either love this or bounce off it hard.

69% liked it

77th percentile of all films

55th percentile among Documentary78th percentile among 2010s
69% rated it 7–1031% rated it 1–6

Critics 80% · Audience 83%

On Rotten Tomatoes, critics and audiences approve at similar rates.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 0 Oscar noms · 0 wins / 3 noms overall

Reach

How many have seen it

56th percentile

2.7K ratings across platforms

81st percentile among Documentary59th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 34% in 30 days

Box office

Opening weekend$82K
Domestic gross$1.7M
Worldwide gross$1.7M

90th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

The film aims to raise awareness about girls' education through personal stories, but its execution is uneven.

Fans praised

  • powerful, hopeful stories of resilient girls
  • stunning visuals and soundtrack
  • celebrity voice cast and unique approach per story

Detractors panned

  • manipulative, tear-jerking musical cues
  • calls it propaganda that tells viewers what to feel
  • failed to entertain despite varied techniques

What stands out

CinematographyDivisive75

stunning visuals with some style mixture issues

Characters70

resilient girls' stories captivating and unique

Emotional impactDivisive70

moved many to tears, but others felt manipulated

OriginalityDivisive65

tries something different, mixing styles awkwardly

Plot and story60

episodic, anecdotal structure with strong core truths

Acting60

celebrity narration praised but uneven re-enactments

DialogueDivisive60

some forceful metaphors, but often tastelessly poetic

Pacing55

didactic interludes and long lesson feel

Preferred by

Women vs men

Preferred by Women

Women scored it 42 points higher than men.

US vs non-US

Preferred by Non-US Viewers

Non-US viewers scored it 10 points higher than US viewers.

Watch experience

What is Girl Rising like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Moving and uplifting: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you are ready for heavy feelings, and you want to be moved and come out lifted.

It takes its time and leaves you hopeful. Skip it when you want an easy night or you want things to move fast.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Room for heavy feelings and patience.

What it feels like

Moving and uplifting.

Moods
MelancholicHopefulTriumphant
Heaviest: throughout
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Warm
Told as
Episodic · 13% of films: Loosely connected incidents rather than one driving plot.Frame story · 5% of films: A story told inside another — someone is recounting it.
ToneThe film treats its subjects' hardships with solemn gravity and earnest advocacy, never undercutting their stories with irony.
The rideThe film oscillates between depicting heartbreaking injustice and celebrating resilience, maintaining emotional weight evenly across its segments.
StructureEach girl's story is presented as a self-contained segment, linked by a framing device of narration and statistics about girls' education.

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Hopeful.

The answer rests on this: HopefulThought-provoking
Why it leaves you this wayLeaves the viewer inspired by the girls' resilience and provoked to consider the transformative power of education against systemic injustice.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21%: Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 22% of films: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeThe film is a documentary anthology profiling nine girls' experiences, not a single narrative following a protagonist through a plot archetype.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelf
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27%: Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% (this title) · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9% (this title): Community 14% (this title) · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% (this title) · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Society

Community · 14% of filmsSurvivalHope · 5% of films
Warns its theme: Presents its theme as a danger or a coming cost.Global stakes: Consequences reach the world.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe film centers on how educating girls transforms not only their own lives but also their communities, emphasizing collective uplift over individual triumph.
StanceThe documentary warns of the global crisis of girls denied education while celebrating the transformative power of schooling, adopting an advocacy posture.

The world

ContemporaryRuralWildernessUrbanRealistic
Orchestral classicalWorldForeground music · original score · Lorne Balfe
Settingimpoverished villages and slums across developing nations
MusicThe score by Lorne Balfe blends orchestral and world elements to underscore both hardship and hope.

Content guide

Is Girl Rising okay for kids?

PG-13

Girl Rising is rated PG-13: “Rated PG-13 for thematic material including disturbing images” (MPAA). As of August 31, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at intense (67/100), sexual content at mild (33/100), language at minimal (0/100) and frightening material at mild (33/100). None has enough votes to rank yet.

Ratings in 1 other country
  • Netherlands9
Overall
Moderate · 4 of 5 categories
not ranked
Violence & Gore
Intense
too few votes to rank (1 vote)
Sex & Nudity
Mild
too few votes to rank (1 vote)
Profanity
None / Minimal
too few votes to rank (1 vote)
Frightening / Intense
Mild
too few votes to rank (1 vote)

Too few votes to rank this title overall (4 votes across 4 categories; ranking needs 10 in at least three).

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Girl Rising have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Girl Rising?

Cast

6 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Liam Neeson
as Narrator
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Anne Hathaway
as Narrator - Afghanistan
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Freida Pinto
as Narrator
Rising: A short career with a standing when this film came out above the median working actor today.
Alicia Keys
as Narrator - Cambodia
Meryl Streep
as Narrator - Ethiopia
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Cate Blanchett
as Narrator - Haiti
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas
as Narrator - India
Kerry Washington
as Narrator - Nepal
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
Salma Hayek
as Narrator - Peru
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Selena Gomez
as Narrator - Sierra Leone
Established: A standing when this film came out that a top-10% working actor has today.

Crew

Directed by

Richard Robbins

Written by

Aminatta Forna, Zarghuna Kargar, Maaza Mengiste, Manjushree Thapa, Mona Eltahawy, Sooni Taraporevala
+4 more, Marie Arana, Loung Ung, Edwidge Danticat, Doreen Baingana

Cinematography

Islam Abdelsamie, Steven Piet, Heloísa Passos, Adam Beckman, Felipe Perez-Burchard, Mike Ozier
+1 more, David Morrison

Music by

Lorne Balfe

Produced by

Lansana Mansaray, Dyu D'Cunha, Gina Nemirofsky, Hilary Sparrow, Antonio Canobbio, Jenna Millman
+39 more, Louise Lovegrove, Martha Adams, Susan M. Coliton, Vaibhav Gupta, Vinnie Malhotra, Bonnie Benjamin-Phariss, Alexandria Dionne, Tess Joseph, Ramaa Mosley, Jody Allen, Richard Robbins, Juno John Lee, Leon Isaac Quispe Huaranca, Amy Andres Cunningham, Anna Jung, Michael Burke, Nishima Chudasama, Handy Tibert, Shannon Prynoski, Ben Kalina, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Bryan Basham, Jason Djang, Tom Yellin, Norah El Khateeb, Damon van der Linde, Kayce Freed Jennings, Talleah Bridges McMahon, Chris Prynoski, Christina Lowery, Paul Allen, Martha Cecelia Dietrich, Michaella Sallu, Rachel Steele, Ryan Brasno, Holly Gordon, Begad Omran, Beth Osisek, Michelle Currinder

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