Not Without My Daughter (1991) on Netflix
Betty Mahmoody agrees to a two-week trip to Iran with her Iranian husband Moody and their daughter Mahtob. There, her ways offend his family, and he refuses to let them go home.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb6.6/1018,154 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes53%
Trailer
Plot summary
Betty Mahmoody lives in Michigan with her Iranian husband, a physician called Moody, and their young daughter, Mahtob. Moody says his family wants to meet the two of them and suggests a two-week visit to Iran. Betty has deep fears about the trip, but agrees after Moody swears on the Quran that they will come back to America. In Iran, Moody and Mahtob are welcomed by his relatives, while Betty's unfamiliarity with the Islamic way of life gives offense. When Betty protests against staying, Moody turns violent, and she finds herself unable to leave the country or to make decisions about Mahtob without his permission. A Swiss diplomat tells her that her marriage made her an Iranian citizen, so no consular help is open to her.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Not Without My Daughter (1991)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Alfred Molina said in an interview that a man punched him because he apparently hated Molina's brutal portrayal of the abusive husband.
- The film was notably broadcast in Paris the night before the 1998 USA vs. Iran World Cup match, a scheduling choice that drew criticism from Iranian communities.
- The 1998 South Park episode "Terrance and Phillip in Not Without My Anus," voiced in part by Matt Stone, spoofed this film's title with a similar plot reworked around Iraqis and Saddam Hussein.
- The film inspired a 1998 Telugu-language film in India, which was itself remade two years later as a Bollywood movie.
