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IMDbPro

Not Without My Daughter

  • 19911991
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 56m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
13K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
8,306
2,443
Sally Field and Sheila Rosenthal in Not Without My Daughter (1991)
An American woman, trapped in Islamic Iran by her brutish husband, must find a way to escape with her daughter as well.
Play trailer2:39
1 Video
19 Photos
DramaThriller
An American woman, trapped in Islamic Iran by her brutish husband, must find a way to escape with her daughter as well.An American woman, trapped in Islamic Iran by her brutish husband, must find a way to escape with her daughter as well.An American woman, trapped in Islamic Iran by her brutish husband, must find a way to escape with her daughter as well.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
13K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
8,306
2,443
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Brian Gilbert
    • Writers
      • Betty Mahmoody(based on the book by)
      • William Hoffer(based on the book by)
      • David W. Rintels(screenplay by)
    • Stars
      • Sally Field
      • Alfred Molina
      • Sheila Rosenthal
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Brian Gilbert
    • Writers
      • Betty Mahmoody(based on the book by)
      • William Hoffer(based on the book by)
      • David W. Rintels(screenplay by)
    • Stars
      • Sally Field
      • Alfred Molina
      • Sheila Rosenthal
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 138User reviews
    • 19Critic reviews
    • 57Metascore
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:39
    Official Trailer

    Photos19

    Sally Field, Alfred Molina, and Sheila Rosenthal in Not Without My Daughter (1991)
    Sally Field and Sheila Rosenthal in Not Without My Daughter (1991)
    Sally Field and Sheila Rosenthal in Not Without My Daughter (1991)
    Sally Field in Not Without My Daughter (1991)
    Sally Field and Sheila Rosenthal in Not Without My Daughter (1991)
    Sally Field and Sheila Rosenthal in Not Without My Daughter (1991)
    Sally Field in Not Without My Daughter (1991)
    Alfred Molina in Not Without My Daughter (1991)
    Sally Field and Alfred Molina in Not Without My Daughter (1991)
    Sally Field in Not Without My Daughter (1991)
    Sally Field in Not Without My Daughter (1991)
    Sally Field and Sheila Rosenthal in Not Without My Daughter (1991)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Sally Field
    Sally Field
    • Betty Mahmoody
    Alfred Molina
    Alfred Molina
    • Moody
    Sheila Rosenthal
    • Mahtob
    Roshan Seth
    Roshan Seth
    • Houssein
    Sarah Badel
    Sarah Badel
    • Nicole
    Mony Rey
    • Ameh Bozorg
    Georges Corraface
    Georges Corraface
    • Mohsen
    Mary Nell Santacroce
    • Grandma
    Ed Grady
    Ed Grady
    • Grandpa
    Marc Gowan
    Marc Gowan
    • Doctor
    Bruce Evers
    • Doctor
    Jonathan Cherchi
    • Mammal
    Soudabeh Farrokhnia
    • Nasserine
    Michael Morim
    • Zia
    Gili Ben-Ozilio
    Gili Ben-Ozilio
    • Fereshte
    Racheli Chaimian
    • Zoreh
    Yossi Tabib
    • Reza
    Amir Shmuel
    • Baba Hajji
    • Director
      • Brian Gilbert
    • Writers
      • Betty Mahmoody(based on the book by)
      • William Hoffer(based on the book by)
      • David W. Rintels(screenplay by)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The real Mahtob appeared as an extra in a school scene.
    • Goofs
      Several of the Iranian characters in the film are shown wearing neckties, which have been effectively banned in Iran since the 1979 Revolution. Both neckties and bow ties are viewed by Iranian authorities as "un-Islamic" and a symbol of Western culture.
    • Quotes

      Moody: I don't know how to say this to you. We're not going back. We're staying here.

      Betty Mahmoody: [pauses] What do you mean? How long?

      Moody: I want to get a job here in a hospital.

      Betty Mahmoody: What?

      Moody: I want us... to live in Iran.

      Betty Mahmoody: [softly] No... No...

      Moody: There's nothing for me in America.

      Betty Mahmoody: No... What? Are you crazy? We're Americans. Your daughter's an American! Moody, honey, you're upset about your job. I understand that. We're going to go back today and we're going to fix it.

      Moody: I want Mahtob to grow up here.

      Betty Mahmoody: [increasingly angry] No!

      Moody: I think she should become a Muslim!

      Betty Mahmoody: [screams] No! No!

      [pauses]

      Betty Mahmoody: You lied to me. You lied to me! You held the Koran and you swore to me that nothing was going happen. You were planning this all the time. You lied to me!

    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Once Around/Men of Respect/Flight of the Intruder/White Fang/Not Without My Daughter (1991)
    • Soundtracks
      Happy Birthday to You
      Written by Mildred J. Hill & Patty S. Hill

      Published by Warner/Chappell Music

    User reviews138

    Review
    Top review
    Okay movie, disturbing comments
    While I was re-watching bits of this movie a few weeks ago, I read the user comments here at IMDb and was very disturbed. Since it is still bothering me, I decided to write my own comments on the movie and on what has been said here.

    First, the movie. It is about an international custody battle. That is a very real problem in this day and age. When couples from different countries break up they often each want the children to live with them and grow up in the country (and culture) in which they were raised. Each naturally thinks the way he or she was raised is better for their children.

    This movie is Betty Mahmoody's story. And the culture clash is between the United States and Iran. It takes place in 1984. The Ayatollah Khomeini was still very much the leader Iran and the Iran-Iraq war had been going on for 4 years and would continue for another 4. Iran was quite isolated from much of the world at that time.

    And 'Moody' Mahmoody, an Iranian-born doctor practicing in the U.S., brings his American wife, Betty, and their daughter, Mahtob, to Iran for a visit. When they arrive, Moody is dismayed at the changes in Iran, especially the breakdown of the education system and the resulting shortage of doctors. Then he becomes an ultra, ultra fundamentalist Muslim – so reactionary he makes suicide bombers look moderate. He demands that Betty dress and behave how he thinks a good Muslim wife should and wants their daughter to be raised to do the same. He becomes physically abusive to Betty. If she wants to return to America, it is fine with him, but Mahtob will remain with him in Iran. So Betty plans a dangerous escape for herself and her daughter.

    Does the movie work? Somewhat. 'Women in peril' movies are always a guilty pleasure and Sally Field is a good actress. The biggest problem is with Moody's character. Alfred Molina is a wonderful actor, but it's hard to do much with a character that undergoes such a radical change in his basic character in a matter of weeks. I kept expecting to learn that he had once been diagnosed as psychotic or schizophrenic.

    Is the movie unfair to the Iranian people? Again, somewhat. Virtually all the characters in the movie except Betty and Mahtob are Iranian. Some are good. Some are bad. But you can't have a 'woman in peril' with no peril. And that is provided by Moody and his family. But the people who help Betty escape are also Iranian. What unfairness there is lies not in maligning the Iranian people (it doesn't do that) but in implying (and sometimes saying explicitly) that the Iranian culture is inferior just because it is not westernized. As a free American woman I would not want to live in any fundamentalist society, regardless of which religion was in control. But post-revolution Iran is no more representative of thousands of years of Persian culture than Italy under Mussolini was representative of a land that produced the Roman Empire and Michelangelo.

    Is the movie unfair to Moody? No, because this is BETTY's story. Talk to anyone in a bitter custody battle and they'll tell you all about why their ex is evil. And they wouldn't be lying. They are giving you their point of view. That doesn't mean Moody doesn't have a different point of view which is equally true and equally untrue (and which, I gather from the comments, was explored in another movie.) But 'Not Without My Daughter' doesn't pretend to be a sociological examination into the two sides of a dispute. Let me repeat for the third time, this is BETTY's story.

    That brings me to why some of the comments disturb me so much. I would fully understand if some viewers thought the movie was silly or inaccurate or biased. But several writers have used their reviews as an excuse to joyfully bash the United States. My favorite was 'Who died and made Americans god to do movies about other countries??' That writer is from Sweden but doesn't seem to have a problem with Jan Troell making 'The New Land' (Nybyggarna) about America. And, were we to listen to her, we wouldn't have 'An American in Paris' or 'The Killing Fields' or 'Out of Africa' or 'Amadeus' (all of which are much better films than 'Not Without My Daughter.') But in the United States we have freedom of speech. That means that movie producers are free to make any movie to which they think they can sell tickets. And, as a member of the viewing public, when I disagree with what they are saying I have a very simple remedy. I don't buy a ticket.
    helpful•219
    60
    • jash-1
    • Oct 10, 2004

    FAQ7

    • What is 'Not Without My Daughter' about?
    • Is "Not Without My Daughter" based on a book?
    • Did Moody intend to trap Betty and Mahtob in Iran before they went there?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 11, 1991 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Persian
      • Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
    • Also known as
      • Kızım Olmadan Asla
    • Filming locations
      • Ankara, Turkey
    • Production companies
      • Pathé Entertainment
      • Ufland
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $14,789,113
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $3,804,055
      • Jan 13, 1991
    • Gross worldwide
      • $14,789,113
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 56 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

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