"Not Without My Daughter" is a true story about a mother who wants to return home to America after visiting her husband's family in Iran. Her husband's patriotism and his desire to be accepted by his family cause him to trick his wife( and daughter) into going to Iran with him, telling her that it will only be for two weeks and convincing her that there will not be any danger.

In Iran, a woman who is married to an Iranian automatically becomes an Iranian citizen and the father gets custody of the children in cases of divorce. When this father decides that he wants to live permanently in Iran, he takes away his wife's passport, so she can't escape from him. She does not wish to leave without her daughter, but he wants his daughter to grow up in Iran. This movie describes how the mother (played by Sally Field) finally returns to America - with her daughter.

Although this movie is only rated PG-13, I found it to be scarier than R-rated horror film, because the circumstances are true and not uncommon in Iran. It was shocking to see Iranian customs which are so different from our own, especially for women. For example, Iranian women must be totally submissive and obedient to their husbands.

This movie really made me aware of how much I value being an American. Although it was a serious movie, it was full of suspense with great acting. Since it contained scenes of Iraq's war with Iran, it gave me some idea of what life must be like in the Middle East right now. I highly recommend this movie; it is the best film I have seen so far this year. n