NOT WITHOUT MY DAUGHTER (1991) *** Comparative sociology need not result in balanced perspective, sometimes when it does that means you did it wrong. How do you begin to justify a culture in which women have to cover their heads, are routinely beaten, are not allowed to leave the country (or room) without their husband's permission, aren't allowed meaningful input into how their children are raised, and ululate in joyous response to the arrival of male relatives from the airport. Well, ok, the ululating was kind of funny, but the rest of it wasn't. Based on a true story, doubtless Hollywooded up a bit, the fact remains that the Sally Field character was treated terribly, and showed a lot of guts to jam on out of the situation. She's very effective and when you start getting pompous and think maybe she's overdoing it a little bit, reconsider. How do you over-act this anguish? Of course the problem is that films like this, no matter how factually close to truth, must have the effect of causing Manhattan socialites to squint their eyes across their Harvey Wallbanger's at their westernized Iranian doctor husbands, and that doesn't help the problem at all. It was enough to give me a warm feeling about the American flag flying over a government building, and I'm reasonably well educated in the impetus and implications of US foreign policy over the past 50 years. Down with patriarchal fundamentalism (yeah, you too Mississippi)!
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