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Not Without My Daughter
1991 116 min United States of America PG-13 12+
★6.5
Drama, Thriller
Director: Brian Gilbert
🎭 Based on
«Not Without My Daughter»
byBetty Mahmoody
Trailers
Description
An American woman, trapped in Islamic Iran by her brutish husband, must find a way to escape with her daughter as well.
US Gross:
$14.79M
Worldwide:
$14.79M
Starring
Sally Field
Actor
Alfred Molina
Actor
Sheila Rosenthal
Actor
Awards
Razzie Awards 1992
— Worst Actress
Key opinion
Not Without My Daughter is a polarizing drama based on a true story that effectively highlights themes of systemic oppression and patriarchal control. While many viewers praise the central performances for their raw intensity, others criticize the film for relying on exaggerated cultural stereotypes and a rushed, unsatisfying conclusion.
| Acting | Sally Field delivers a powerful and sincere performance that anchors the emotional weight of the narrative. | |
| Theme | The film succeeds in depicting the genuine terror of isolation and the systemic struggle for autonomy within a restrictive patriarchal society. | |
| Adaptation | The adaptation suffers from significant narrative compression, leaving out the deeper emotional context and character development found in the original source book. | |
| Ending | The film's final act is viewed as either too abrupt or symbolically heavy-handed, detracting from the realism established in earlier scenes. | |
| Culture | Opinions on cultural representation are deeply divided: some praise its realism regarding Iranian social laws, while others condemn the reliance on reductive, propagandistic anti-Iranian stereotypes. | |
| Pacing | The pacing is a point of contention, with some viewers finding the contemplative, documentary-like tempo engaging and others finding it tedious and prone to disengagement. |