Review of Not Without My Daughter (1991) by Wiwi C — 01 Feb 2011
Wow. This was an incredibly chilling and moving story with a great performance by Sally Field. I literally felt that I was Betty, experiencing the hostility toward women in Iran. She made me feel what she must have been feeling, being held hostage against her will in a foreign country where she is not treated equally to man.
She lived in constant fear of being beaten or killed or having her child taken away. This movie is based on the true story of Betty's adventure as she tries to escape her abusive Iranian husband and return to America with her daughter.
The ONLY negative thing I have to say about the movie is that the husband's demeanor seemed to dramatically change as he went from a loving, devoted husband and father to a brutal, controlling Muslim.
The movie does not show many Muslim characters in a good light... in fact, the majority of the Muslims are shown to be uncaring and insensitive. I did not receive the movie as racist but I fear that others might.
The culture was not shown in a very good light, in fact, I found myself thinking from time to time, "Praise God I live in America!" The American flag waving at the end is almost a little hokey even though it's supposed to represent triumph and freedom.
The message I'm getting is: "America= Good Iran= Bad"" I'm sure not all of Iran is how Betty experienced it. Overall, an amazing and well-told story.
This review of Not Without My Daughter (1991) was written by Wiwi C on 01 Feb 2011.
Not Without My Daughter has generally received positive reviews.
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