Not Without My Daughter

1991 film by Brian Gilbert

Not Without My Daughter is a 1991 American drama movie by director Brian Gilbert. It stars Sally Field and Alfred Molina. It is based on Betty Mahmoody's 1987 book by telling the story about the escape with her daughter from her husband from Iran.

Not Without My Daughter
Directed byBrian Gilbert
Written byDavid W. Rintels
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPeter Hannan
Edited by
Music byJerry Goldsmith
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • January 11, 1991 (1991-01-11) (United States)
Running time
116 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Persian
Budget$22 million

Plot change

American Betty Lover marries Iranian doctor Sayeed Bozorg Mahmoody (nicknamed: Moody). They have a daughter called Mahtab (Persian: "Moonlight").

Moody wants to see his family in Tehran, Iran, because he has not seen his family for ten years. Betty doesn't want to go to Iran, because she thinks that it is dangerous. Moody persuades Betty, that she goes to Iran for a two week holiday. But Moody has hidden the termination of his job in a hospital in the USA from Betty and Mahtab and tells his family, that they will stay in Iran forever. Because a man has the say in Iran, they have to stay here and Betty cannot take her daughter Mahtab out of the country without her husband's permission. She searches for help to escape from the country with Mahtab, for example from the Swiss embassy.

She has major problems to adapt to the strict laws and customs of the country, because as an American she is much-hated in Iran. Moody often abuses Betty, because she does not obey him. After 18 months, Betty succeeds to escape Iran with her daughter Mahtab. They flee over the Zagros mountains in the northwest of Iran to Turkey. They fly back to USA from there.

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