DramaThriller

Not Without My Daughter

- In 1984, Betty Mahmoody's husband took his wife and daughter to meet his family in Iran. He swore they would be safe. They would be happy. They would be free to leave. He lied.

An American woman, trapped in Islamic Iran by her brutish husband, must find a way to escape with her daughter as well.

Release Date : 1991-01-11

Language :EnglishPersian

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Pathé EntertainmentUflandMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Production Country : United States of America

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Betty Mahmoody

Original Name : Sally Field

Gender : Female

Character Name : Moody

Original Name : Alfred Molina

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mahtob

Original Name : Sheila Rosenthal

Gender : Female

Character Name : Houssein

Original Name : Roshan Seth

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nicole

Original Name : Sarah Badel

Gender : Female

Character Name : Ameh Bozorg

Original Name : Mony-Rey

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mohsen

Original Name : Georges Corraface

Gender : Male

Character Name : Grandma

Original Name : Mary Nell Santacroce

Gender : Female

Character Name : Grandpa

Original Name : Ed Grady

Gender : Male

Character Name : Doctor

Original Name : Marc Gowan

Gender : Male

Character Name : Doctor

Original Name : Bruce Evers

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mammal

Original Name : Jonathan Cherchi

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nasserine

Original Name : Soudabeh Farrokhnia

Gender : Male

Character Name : Zia

Original Name : Michael Morim

Gender : Male

Character Name : Fereshte

Original Name : Gili Ben Ozilio

Gender : Male

Character Name : Zoreh

Original Name : Racheli Chaimian

Gender : Male

Character Name : Reza

Original Name : Yossi Tabib

Gender : Male

Character Name : Baba Hajji

Original Name : Amir Shmuel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Aga Hakim

Original Name : Ya'ackov Banai

Gender : Male

Character Name : Koran Teacher

Original Name : Dafna Armoni

Gender : Female

Character Name : Ellen

Original Name : Judith Robinson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Hormoz

Original Name : Avraham Mor

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hamid

Original Name : Sasson Gabai

Gender : Male

Character Name : Miss Nassimi

Original Name : Ahuva Keren

Gender : Female

Character Name : Khanun Shaheen

Original Name : Farzaneh Taidi

Gender : Female

Character Name : Mahtob's Teacher

Original Name : Yerusha Tirosh

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mohsen's Companion

Original Name : Yosef Shiloach

Gender : Male

Character Name : Iranian Soldier

Original Name : Shaul Mizrahi

Gender : Male

Reviews

Wuchak

@Wuchak

2021-06-23

_**American mother & daughter ‘imprisoned’ in an alien culture of a strict Muslim country**_ In 1984, an Iranian doctor in Michigan (Alfred Molina) insists on visiting his family back home after ten years and insists that his wife (Sally Field) & daughter come along for a 2-week trip. They are horrified to discover that the doctor has no intention of going back to America and holds them hostage in Tehran with his family, abusing the wife. To make matters worse, Iran was at war with Iraq at the time and bombing raids on Tehran were not uncommon. Can they make it back alive? "Not Without My Daughter" (1991) is based on Betty Mahmoody's real-life account of the same name, co-written by William Hoffer and published in 1987. The movie reminded me of “Midnight Express” (1978), which is interesting since Hoffer also co-authored the book that movie was based on, published in 1977. Both stories are about Americans trapped in Muslim nations. Everyone knows Turkey isn’t so religiously strict, but Billy Hayes in “Midnight Express” was stuck in prison there and it was a harrowing experience (read the book as it’s naturally more factual than the movie). Betty wasn’t in prison in Iran yet she was still very much a prisoner and the experience was just as harrowing. The movie doesn’t paint all Iranians as evil, as some criticize. It just shows how the rights of women are seriously limited in such a legalistic patriarchal society. It also effectively shows how an otherwise good person can become an altogether different one under the influence of a dubious communal spirit. This happens all the time. Have you ever had a friend who acted one way in private, but very differently in a social situation with questionable peer pressure? Perhaps you yourself have done this; I have. It’s the same principle in this movie except that the “community spirit” and corresponding peer pressure involves male-dominated Islamic culture and the mistreatment of women. The daughter wrote her account of what happened in her 2015 book “My Name is Mahtob,” which basically corroborates her mother’s version of events while trying to be sympathetic to her father. She became a Christian and essentially points out how genuine Christians (as opposed to nominal ones) are persecuted in America by the secular religion of LIEberalism, which is ironic since America is supposed to champion religious & ideological freedom. It’s just a different kind of persecution than what Mahtob & her mother experienced in Iran. The film runs 1 hour, 55 minutes, and was shot mainly in Neve Ilan, Isreal, but also Ankara, Turkey (the closing scenes) and Atlanta, Georgia (the Michigan scenes). GRADE: B