Worlds collide - I mean if this was not based on a true story ... I can not imagine this having an easy standing with anyone who cares about political correctness. Quite a lot of things that many would consider cliches - a lot of hurdles and a lot of folks seeming to be as "evil" (by western standards at least - though human wise too if you ask anyone with common sense). I also just read that certain things are not entirely accurate (like the way the Muslims pray in scenes) ... which do not make this any easier to watch or rate for that matter.

You can totally understand the mother - and her struggle to survive with all that madness trying to swallow her whole. And her daughter that is. I am not sure how or why certain people would not be able to help them ... but that only makes it even more tense and even more of an exhilarating experience to watch.

This movie was quite (in)famous when it came out. I remember hearing many good things about it, but I decided not to watch it. Might not have been in the general mood for a drama like that - and I have to admit, this was not easy watching. So many things that make me furious here ... you have to remember where to focus that anger though. Things like that unfortunately tend to (still) happen ... it is not something we want to have on our mind or consciousness ... Madness and a movie that gives you something to think about - if you can handle it. Amazing performances, especially by Sally Field by the way.

"Betty (Sally Field) has come to the Middle East (Iran) with her daughter and native-born husband (Alfred Molina) 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. In a hostile, war-torn country, where even the slightest misstep can mean death, she makes a desperate bid to escape with her child," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.

This Iranian husband, who reads newspapers at work printed in his own language, doesn't know how much his country has changed? What on EARTH did Ms. Field's character see in this psychopath? Did they cut the scene where someone deposits a giant pea-pod in his Iranian backyard? The relationship between the two principles is totally unbelievable, with Mr. Molina faring the worse. One wonders what "American" citizens thought of Iranian immigrants after watching this film in 1991. But, it plays (as a monster "moody").

**** Not Without My Daughter (1/11/91) Brian Gilbert ~ Sally Field, Alfred Molina, Sheila Rosenthal

When Betty(Field, determined) go with Moody(Molina, transforming from loving to cruel) and their daughter Mahtob(Rosenthal, cute, devoted to her mother) back to his home country of Iran for a two week vacation, they find it very different from last time he was there. Since the revolution, the laws are more strict. And when the fortnight is up, he tells them that they will be staying. It's a dangerous place to be, women have few rights, and a divorce would just mean he gets custody. But she knows she has to get out, and her girl is coming with her. One way or another.

I don't know enough about the period to say how realistic this is, but it comes across as credible. We see some of the local customs, and the choice to keep it entirely from their perspective was smart - as long as they are in that country, so are we. The acting is good for all concerned, including children. Some of the dialog and cinematography are odd, taking you out of the experience, when they easily could have been better. Other than that, this is fairly well-produced. This is 108 minutes without the credits, or 111 with.

There is some solid tension, albeit these sequences tend to be over too quickly, and removed from any greater context. The pacing is decent at best. This stops and stalls, and it's one of the "based on a true story" pictures that focuses so much on being accurate, it forgets that it's also, ultimately a piece of fiction(not a documentary),and as such, has to entertain. There are plot strands that end up going nowhere, and this is easily 20 minutes too long. By the end, you've simply stopped caring.

There is some violent and disturbing content. I recommend this to those who badly want a film about these events. 6/10