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

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I found "Not Without My Daughter" to be a gripping story because I could relate to what it is like to be in foreign lands and feel at the mercy of those around you, to be in a situation where not only do you not speak the language but the culture itself is alien. One realizes that "reality" is highly subjective. Also, a friend of mine lived through a very similar incident, albeit in the same country (luckily, my friend's father returned her to her mother in the USA). So, I myself cannot accuse this movie of being unrealistic or biased when I know that such incidents do occur. And I must add that "Not Without My Daughter" makes no secret of the fact that while it was Iranians who tried to prevent Betty Mahmoody from leaving Iran with her daughter, the people who aided Betty in doing so were also Iranian - and they are depicted as doing so at great personal risk and with no certainty of payment or personal benefit whatsoever. In fact, I found this to be the most moving aspect of the movie.

Andrew Parodi

16 of 18 found the following review helpful:

The good and the bad side of humanityOct 30, 2004
By Raven's Child "EA"
A true story about a woman who marries an Iranian, has a child with him, and "visits" his family in Iran. To her horror, her husband tells her he intends to stay in Iran with both his wife and daughter. Watching her husband transform from a caring husband into a fanatic, I couldn't help feeling sorry for him too. He bacomes so influenced by the matriarch, whose mentality towards Betty's being forced to stay in Iran, is "If it was good enough for me, it is good enough for other women" that he became a victim of this woman as well. The man does show love for his wife by moving in with friends and away from this matriarch's influence but the problems do not end there. Betty is subjected to beatings at her husband's hands. Through this evil, a positive side of Iranians is shown. Many Iranians help her and her daughter escape her husband and take her home to America. The most moving part in the movie is when a nomad who is taking Betty and her daughter to Turkey, takes Betty's jewelry and pass port and then returns her belongs to her when she is no longer in his care. He has done a wonderful thing for Betty and has asked for nothing in return.

The best lesson this movie has to offer an audience is that by viewing the negative side of humanity, in any culture or country, we also see a positive side.

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