Not Without My Daughter

MOM, YOU BE CAREFUL, ALL RIGHT?

ALL RIGHT.

I DO THINK THIS IS LONGER THAN IT USED TO BE.

DAD IS LOOKING SO WELL.

WELL, HE IS, ISN'T HE?

YEAH.

HE ALWAYS WAS A FIGHTER.

I KNOW.

LOOK AT MAHTOB.

SHE'S SUCH A DADDY'S GIRL.

HA HA. WELL, SO WERE YOU.

MOODY! MAHTOB! DAD!

COME ON! FRESH HOMEMADE LEMONADE!

COME ON! COME ON, EVERYBODY!

MOM, DADDY'S TEACHING ME HOW TO FISH AGAIN!

HA HA HA!

DEAR, CAN I SEE TODAY'S CATCH?

ONE OF THESE DAYS, O YE OF LITTLE FAITH.

ARE YOU HAVING A GOOD TIME?

DAD, YOU WANT LEMONADE?

YES.

AH!

SOUR? A LITTLE.

NOT ENOUGH SUGAR? NO.

I NEVER CAN GET THAT RIGHT.

THERE YOU ARE.

HEY, MAHTOB. MAHTOB.

WHAT VITAMINS DO WE GET FROM LEMONS?

MAHTOB?

VITAMIN C.

WHAT VITAMINS DO WE GET FROM BANANAS?

VITAMIN C, VITAMIN B, AND FIBER.

RIGHT! RIGHT!

MY KIDS WEREN'T AS SMART AS THIS LITTLE CUTIE.

GREAT. THANKS, MOM.

WHAT WILL YOU BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

A NURSE.

YOU CAN BE A DOCTOR AS WELL, YOU KNOW.

A DOCTOR AND A NURSE.

HOW CAN YOU TEACH MAHTOB TO FISH?

YOU'VE NEVER CAUGHT A FISH.

HONEY, IT'S THE BEST WAY.

I'M UNPREJUDICED EITHER WAY.

HE BOUGHT ALL THIS FISHING EQUIPMENT.

THEY'VE FISHED ALL MONTH... NOTHING.

IF IT'S BETWEEN YOUR LEMONADE AND MY FISHING,

I KNOW WHERE I STAND.

I WANT TO SIT ON DADDY'S LAP.

DON'T FIGHT OVER ME.

FIND ANOTHER AVAILABLE LAP.

WE HAVE A 36-YEAR-OLD MALE. GIVE HIM A SPINAL.

THEN WE HAVE... THANK YOU...

A 3O-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WITH A CLASS 3 PAP SMEAR

FOR A T.A.H.

THE IRANIANS PRAYED THEMSELVES

RIGHT BACK INTO THE STONE AGE.

WHY WOULD ANYONE COME HERE TO STUDY MEDICINE?

THEY CAN GET A DEGREE IN IRAN IN, WHAT, 2 WEEKS?

7 DAYS.

THE AYATOLLAH'S GOT GREAT IDEAS ABOUT MEDICINE.

SOLDIER GETS WOUNDED, LET HIM DIE.

HE'LL GO TO PARADISE ANYWAY.

SEE THAT NEWSPAPER OVER THERE?

THE IRANIAN FUNNY PAGE?

HOW CAN HE READ THAT? IT'S NOT EVEN WORDS.

IT LOOKS LIKE ONE OF MY PRESCRIPTIONS.

I WOULDN'T MIND GOING TO IRAN.

OH, NO. DON'T TURN IT OFF.

IT'S OK.

HONEY, WHAT'S WRONG?

NOTHING'S WRONG. I'M FINE.

WHAT'S WRONG?

HAVE YOU TALKED TO THE FAMILY?

IS EVERYTHING ALL RIGHT?

OH, EVERYBODY'S FINE. THEY'RE FINE.

OH, BY THE WAY, MAMMAL PHONED.

HE AND NASSERINE HAVE HAD A BABY BOY.

THAT'S GREAT.

A COUPLE OF THE DOCTORS

WERE MAKING CRACKS AT THE HOSPITAL AGAIN.

WHO WERE THEY?

WHAT DOES IT MATTER?

IT MATTERS, MOODY. IT MATTERS.

WE MOVED HERE TO GET AWAY FROM ALL OF THAT.

GOD, IT'S JUST SO AWFUL.

OH, HONEY, FORGET IT.

HONEY, FORGET IT.

THERE ARE DUMB PEOPLE EVERYWHERE.

FORGET IT, HONEY.

"AND THE GENIE ROARED WITH LAUGHTER...

"AH HA HA HA HA!

"O THOU POOR THIEF OF A THOUSAND ALLEYWAYS,

"DO YOU THINK YOU CAN MARRY THE SULTAN'S DAUGHTER

WHEN ALL THE PRINCES IN PERSIA ARE SEEKING HER HAND?"

"YOU FOOLISH SLAVE," REPLIED ALADDIN.

"HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE JEWELS IN THE CAVE?

"YOU HAVE THE WITS OF A DONKEY.

I SHOULD PUT YOU INTO THE LAMP WHERE YOU BELONG."

IS THERE REALLY ALADDIN'S CAVE?

I'M SURE THERE MUST BE.

COULD WE FIND IT?

I'M NOT SURE I KNOW WHERE IT IS.

I WAS BORN IN PERSIA. THEY CALL IT IRAN NOW.

IF I TOOK YOU THERE, WE COULD LOOK FOR IT TOGETHER.

IRAN'S GOT CAVES AND MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS,

JUST LIKE IN THE STORY,

AND MOSQUES SO BEAUTIFUL, THEY'RE LIKE JEWELS.

YOU KNOW, WHEN THE SUN SHINES ON THEM,

THEY DAZZLE YOUR EYES.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THOSE?

OK, WHERE WERE WE?

DADDY?

UH-HUH?

DO I HATE AMERICANS?

WHAT DO YOU MEAN? OF COURSE NOT.

LUCILLE SAYS I HATE AMERICANS

BECAUSE YOU'RE FROM IRAN.

SWEETHEART,

LUCILLE DOESN'T REALLY KNOW

WHAT SHE'S TALKING ABOUT,

SO WE SHOULDN'T PAY TOO MUCH ATTENTION TO HER.

I'VE LIVED IN AMERICA FOR 2O YEARS.

I'M AS AMERICAN AS APPLE PIE,

AND SO ARE YOU.

GIVE ME A KISS.

MMM! BIG HUGS.

MMM! BIG HUGS.

OH, THAT WAS AMEH BOZORQ.

IT'S ALWAYS THE SAME.

SHE CRIES AND CRIES ON THE PHONE.

"YOU'RE LIKE A SON TO ME.

"WHEN YOUR MOTHER DIED,

"I WAS THE ONE THAT RAISED YOU.

"NOW I'M SICK, I'M DYING, YOU'RE A DOCTOR,

YOU'RE NOT HERE TO LOOK AFTER ME."

IS SHE SICK?

NO. SHE'S NOT SICK.

SHE'S 58. SHE FEELS OLD, BUT SHE'S NOT SICK.

IT'S THE SAME OLD GUILT TRIP.

OH, HONEY, COME ON.

SHE'S YOUR SISTER. SHE MISSES YOU.

YOU HAVE TO PHONE HER MORE OFTEN.

PHONING'S NO GOOD. SHE WANTS TO SEE ME.

NOW THAT MAMMAL AND NASSERINE HAVE THEIR BABY,

EVERYBODY'S THERE TO CELEBRATE EXCEPT ME.

IT'S BEEN 10 YEARS.

I HAVEN'T SEEN MY FAMILY FOR 1O YEARS.

WHY DOESN'T SHE COME FOR A VISIT?

SHE WOULDN'T DO THAT. SHE'S HARDLY LEFT TEHERAN.

SHE WANTS TO SEE ME OVER THERE.

THEY WANT TO SEE US.

THEY'VE NEVER MET YOU OR MAHTOB.

SHE KEEPS ASKING WHY CAN'T WE GO OVER FOR A VACATION.

YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO EXPLAIN IT TO THEM.

EXPLAIN WHAT?

WE CAN'T GO TO IRAN.

WHY NOT?

I'M NOT ABOUT TO TAKE MAHTOB TO IRAN.

IT'S MUCH TOO VIOLENT.

WE'RE NOT GOING SIGHTSEEING TO THE PERSIAN GULF.

WE'RE SPENDING 2 WEEKS ON VACATION WITH MY FAMILY.

MOODY, THERE'S TOO MUCH GOING ON OVER THERE.

YOUR FAMILY IS WELCOME HERE ANYTIME.

IF YOU FEEL THAT STRONGLY ABOUT IT,

MAYBE YOU SHOULD GO YOURSELF.

I DON'T MEAN THAT, EITHER.

NONE OF US SHOULD GO. IT'S JUST NOT SAFE.

Mahtob: MOMMY!

I'M COMING!

YOU'RE GETTING IT OUT OF PROPORTION.

I HAVEN'T SEEN THEM FOR 1O YEARS.

I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL.

Mahtob: MOMMY!

ALL RIGHT! I'M COMING!

NO, IT'S OK. GO AHEAD.

HONEY, I WANT TO GO MORE THAN ANYTHING.

I MISS THEM SO MUCH.

YOU'RE ALWAYS TALKING ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT FAMILY IS.

ALL I WANT TO DO IS GO FOR 2 WEEKS

WITH YOU AND MAHTOB AND VISIT MY FAMILY.

MOODY, IT SCARES ME.

WHAT SCARES YOU, HONEY?

LOOK AT ME.

DO YOU HONESTLY THINK FOR ONE MOMENT

THAT I WOULD TAKE YOU AND MAHTOB ANYWHERE

THAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE DANGEROUS?

I LOVE YOU BOTH MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WHOLE WORLD.

LISTEN...

MAHTOB'S GOT HER VACATION.

SHE STARTS A NEW SCHOOL.

IT'S A GOOD TIME.

I SWEAR TO YOU... ON THE SACRED KORAN,

YOU WON'T BE IN ANY DANGER,

THAT WE'LL BE BACK AFTER 2 WEEKS,

AND THAT I WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING

TO JEOPARDIZE YOURS OR MAHTOB'S SAFETY.

COME ON, HONEY.

IT'S NOT SUCH A BIG DEAL.

LOOK WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

HELLO, BETTY.