NOT WITHOUT MY DAUGHTER: A
First off it is important to note that as I review this film, I separate the film from the story it was based upon & review the film for its merits alone.
The writing was very well done & presented the story in an extremely realistic light. Normally when tackling such an issue, things can become exceptionally one sided, but I felt the film did a good job of presenting views from both sides. Perhaps one side more than the other, but at least it didn't completely favor one side while burying the other. That was the result of good writing.
The directing here was very good too. While I question the realism of the events themselves, the sequence & pacing in which they were laid out done in an easy to follow transitional structure. What was happening, why it was happening and how it was happening was clear and concise.
The acting on behalf of Sally Field, Alfred Molina and the supporting cast was also very well done. Writing, directing and acting woven together to display characters in a realistic light of shades of gray. This film could have easily painted a scenario of black and white, but instead chose to portray the circumstances and characters within those circumstances as multilayered rather than one dimensional.
That's my over all review of this well put together film.
NOW....
As to the actual story. I question the authenticity and actuality of what really transpired. I know that there are other films & pieces of information out there that confirm Betty's story & others that nullify it. I dare not want to call anyone a liar & I know from personal experience that sometimes the most unrealistic of scenarios are in fact exactly what went down. Yet I can't help but question some of her claims or in the least wonder if their wasn't some drastic embellishment to generate interest in order to generate sales. Some of the story just plain doesn't add up. That doesn't mean that it didn't happen that way. It very well might have, but when given rational and logical thought, it doesn't seem likely. Digging into her past & finding out some of the details of her life, I'm not sure if she's the saintly heroine that the media tried to depict her as for such a long time. I'm also not sold that Moody was the turned into a monster over night villain that he was made out to be either. I know that Mahtob has since written a book of her experiences that back up and confirm her mother's story. Yet, I can't help but question that as well. She was very, very young when all of this took place. I have a difficult time remembering in explicit detail the events of my life when I was 4, 5, 6 & 7 years old. I'm an extremely nostalgic person, deeply infatuated with my past & on top of it I'm a writer. For me it's easier to believe that as a result of never seeing her father again, she grew up with her mother's consistent reinforcement and based her memories of the events more so on being conditioned than what she actually recalls.
I think there are many truths to what happened, but I don't think we're bowling a 300 here either. I think we have Betty's side of what happened and Moody's side of what happened, and somewhere in between lies the truth.
Which again circles me back around to the film. I do feel that the film in at least a subtle way tried to depict a bit of that within the film. Perhaps not in the fairest of ways, but at least in a way. I remember my mother reading this book when I was very little & then renting and watching the film. I did not watch it with her and I'm glad I didn't, because at the time I wouldn't have been able to have seen it in the way I do now. Not sure if I needed to wait until I was 36, but nevertheless, this is a film that needed to be seen later in life, so I'm glad I waited.
First off it is important to note that as I review this film, I separate the film from the story it was based upon & review the film for its merits alone.
The writing was very well done & presented the story in an extremely realistic light. Normally when tackling such an issue, things can become exceptionally one sided, but I felt the film did a good job of presenting views from both sides. Perhaps one side more than the other, but at least it didn't completely favor one side while burying the other. That was the result of good writing.
The directing here was very good too. While I question the realism of the events themselves, the sequence & pacing in which they were laid out done in an easy to follow transitional structure. What was happening, why it was happening and how it was happening was clear and concise.
The acting on behalf of Sally Field, Alfred Molina and the supporting cast was also very well done. Writing, directing and acting woven together to display characters in a realistic light of shades of gray. This film could have easily painted a scenario of black and white, but instead chose to portray the circumstances and characters within those circumstances as multilayered rather than one dimensional.
That's my over all review of this well put together film.
NOW....
As to the actual story. I question the authenticity and actuality of what really transpired. I know that there are other films & pieces of information out there that confirm Betty's story & others that nullify it. I dare not want to call anyone a liar & I know from personal experience that sometimes the most unrealistic of scenarios are in fact exactly what went down. Yet I can't help but question some of her claims or in the least wonder if their wasn't some drastic embellishment to generate interest in order to generate sales. Some of the story just plain doesn't add up. That doesn't mean that it didn't happen that way. It very well might have, but when given rational and logical thought, it doesn't seem likely. Digging into her past & finding out some of the details of her life, I'm not sure if she's the saintly heroine that the media tried to depict her as for such a long time. I'm also not sold that Moody was the turned into a monster over night villain that he was made out to be either. I know that Mahtob has since written a book of her experiences that back up and confirm her mother's story. Yet, I can't help but question that as well. She was very, very young when all of this took place. I have a difficult time remembering in explicit detail the events of my life when I was 4, 5, 6 & 7 years old. I'm an extremely nostalgic person, deeply infatuated with my past & on top of it I'm a writer. For me it's easier to believe that as a result of never seeing her father again, she grew up with her mother's consistent reinforcement and based her memories of the events more so on being conditioned than what she actually recalls.
I think there are many truths to what happened, but I don't think we're bowling a 300 here either. I think we have Betty's side of what happened and Moody's side of what happened, and somewhere in between lies the truth.
Which again circles me back around to the film. I do feel that the film in at least a subtle way tried to depict a bit of that within the film. Perhaps not in the fairest of ways, but at least in a way. I remember my mother reading this book when I was very little & then renting and watching the film. I did not watch it with her and I'm glad I didn't, because at the time I wouldn't have been able to have seen it in the way I do now. Not sure if I needed to wait until I was 36, but nevertheless, this is a film that needed to be seen later in life, so I'm glad I waited.
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