Description: Two-time OscarÂ(r) winner* Sally Field adds another powerful acting triumph to her gallery of great roles in the suspense thriller Not Without My Daughter, a riveting true story of terror and escape. Betty has come to the Middle East with her daughter and native-born husband(Alfred Molina, Spider-Man 2, Species) for a visit with his family. But soon the horrible truth about their vacation surfaces. Betty's husband doesn't intend to bring his family back to America...ever. She may return, he says, but their daughter must stay. And he has centuries of local custom and the oppressive might of a police state behind him. As a stranger in a foreign land, Betty has no money, no friends and no rights. But she does have an unconquerable will. In a hostile, war-torn country, where even the slightest misstep can mean death, she makes a desperate bid to escape with her child. Her story, her courage and her ultimate triumph are unforgettable. *1979: Actress, Norma Rae; 1984: Actress, Places in the Heart
Amazon.com: The Arab anti-defamation leagues understandably had a field day with this one. Sally Field plays Betty Mahmoody, an American who marries an Iranian (Alfred Molina) and has a child. They go back to Iran for a visit and, to her horror, he tells her he's decided to stay there. If she wants to leave, she must leave her daughter behind. If she stays, Betty must live in a culture vastly different and, she believes, very dangerous. Part thriller, part culture clash, the film certainly takes advantage of Americans' perceptions of Iran after the unrest of the '70s and early '80s. Molina is truly despicable as the husband, while Field projects a lot of overheated anguish as Betty tries to figure out a way to escape the country with her daughter. Overheated, in fact, is the word for the whole melodrama. --Marshall Fine
Culture clash, part misconception and part deception The film's based on the real-life story of Betty Mahmoody, a woman who married an Iranian man and went home with her husband on what she believed was just a vacation only to find her husband has chosen for them to remain in Iran.
Sally Field does a very able job of playing the American wife who'd do anything for her husband but leave her own home and country for her husband's. Molina plays Moody, the husband who chose to keep his wife and child against her will. The story's part family drama and part thriller. Betty Mahmoody literally had no rights on her own and if she returned to the US, she was told she could not take her daughter with her. She fought the system and managed to win.
Rebecca Kyle, September 2008
"I want you to be a big girl" Very brave, how a wife riske her life, to save her, and her daughter's Sally Field, once again plays a great part. I reccomend this movie to any Sally Field fan.
Exellent Movie I bought this movie because this was a movie from my child hood, This is a must see movie, I also bought the book
Based on a real lie A very boring story about a seemingly very vengeful woman. We all make mistakes in life, and try to learn from it. But Betty Mahmoody is making money out of it by making up a story in which she portrayes herself as the victim. I watched this woman complaining on the Dr. Phil show recently, still sobbing and feeling sorry for herself and at the same time promoting her book and trying to squeeze the last couple of bucks out of her story. Thanks to the Finish documentary `Without my daughter' which shows us what really happened we now know that this book is just one big lie. Maybe they don't show you these documentaries in the US, I'm sure your government would like you to believe that all women are suppressed in countries like Iran. Do not buy this DVD, don't buy the book or VHS. Dishonesty should not be rewarded.
Herman
Excellent Movie This is a wonderful and truthful movie for all to see. Many Americans fall prey to these men from other countries and have children and they do the same exact thing. Lure you to their country and keep you captive there.
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