Not Without My Daughter (1991)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Brian Gilbert

Writers:

Betty Mahmoody (book) and
William Hoffer (book) ...

Release Date:

11 January 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

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.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Doctor | Marital Abuse | Social Control | Dowry

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Sally Field	...	Betty Mahmoody
Alfred Molina	...	Moody
Sheila Rosenthal	...	Mahtob
Roshan Seth	...	Houssein
Sarah Badel	...	Nicole
Mony Rey	...	Ameh Bozorg
Georges Corraface	...	Mohsen
Mary Nell Santacroce	...	Grandma
Ed Grady	...	Grandpa
Marc Gowan	...	Doctor
Bruce Evers	...	Doctor
Jonathan Cherchi	...	Mammal
Soudabeh Farrokhnia	...	Nasserine
Michael Morim	...	Zia
Gili Ben-Ozilio	...	Fereshte

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Persian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Germany:12 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12/9 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Company:

Pathé Entertainment

Trivia:

Mahtob in Persian means "moonlight".

Quotes:

[Moody laughs unexpectedly]
Betty Mahmoody: What's so funny?
Moody: You know, they think we make love all the time.
Betty Mahmoody: Who?
Moody: The family.
Betty Mahmoody: Why?
Moody: Well... because here, you know, after they make love, they have to take a shower because, you know, they can't pray unless they do, you know. It's considered unclean. And we're taking two, three showers a day!
[Moody continues laughing]
Betty Mahmoody: Oh God! What do they think? We're two rabbits or something!
[Betty is now laughing]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Futurama: The Luck of the Fryrish (#3.10)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

VISSI D'ARTE

2.5 Stars

Story of woman (Field) trapped in Iran after traveling to visit her husband's family after the 1979 revolution. Interesting story is blurred by ethnic and religious stereotypes. Field is excellent as mother simply trying to return with her daughter to their American way of life. Her husband, in one of the film's main flaws, is portrayed as a Jekyll and Hyde character: one minute loving, the next, a Muslim tyrant.