Running Time: 104 Minutes
Certification: 12a
Starring: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr, George Hashem Zadeh, Delmaz Najafi, Afsaneh Najm Abadi
Back in 2010, Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was arrested for trying to make "propaganda against the regime," where he was sentenced to a 20-year ban from making films. Such a thing has not stopped the creative from adding more works to his filmography, or lessened his criticisms delivered against the Iranian government. It Was Just an Accident had its World Premier at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won top prize of the Palme d'Or, with a pointed critique that is exceptional to behold.
Viewers initially follow a family travelling in their car at night, intent on getting home while the young daughter wishes to loudly play an entertaining song. This portrait of everyday mundanity is interrupted by the car hitting a dog, as confirmed by the father (Ebrahim Azizi) stepping outside while his squeaking prosthetic leg breaks up the silence. The young daughter is left in shock at what happened, despite the mother reassuring that it was merely an accident. However, that accident is just the beginning of things to come.
Trouble follows when the family car later breaks down near a garage, where the father's squeaking prosthetic leg causes auto-mechanic Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri) to freeze. He becomes convinced that he recognises the father as Eghbal, Vahid's former torturer from when he was imprisoned by Iranian authorities on trumped-up charges. Acting on impulse, Vahid kidnaps the man and attempts to bury him alive in the desert, but cannot go through with it while doubting the man's identity. In order to determine whether the man is the notorious torturer or not, he asks for help from others that were tortured by Eghbal (nicknamed Peg Leg.) As the group determine the captive's identity, the question arises whether they should exact revenge.
Across the 104-minute runtime, Panahi crafts a tightly woven work that holds your attention with a vice-like grip. What unfolds could feel like a comedy of errors, with the group struggling in the face of reality as they try exacting their desired ideas of vengeance. A comedic highlight involves a parking attendant prepared for many ways of extortion. Yet, this is a work never far from the sobering reality of what the survivors must live with etched on their memories, and it rings true courtesy of a deft handling of tone.
Whatever idea these characters hold about their futures, it is clear that the scars of the past linger, and being faced with a figure possibly responsible has shaken their attempts to move forward. In the process of making this probable monster pay, will this group become what they despise? That question hangs in the air, mixed with the tremendous performances conveying the traumatic recollections, to effectively capture how shaken the events have left them all.
Viewers are kept on their toes regarding the scenario, with an uncertainty remaining about the captive person's identity. Are the protests of innocence genuine from a father at the end of a wrongful accusation, or is it an act of desperation by someone whose sins have caught up with him? It all builds towards an exceptional climax, where an unbroken shot delivers an overwhelming sense of tension and a powerhouse showcase for the actors involved. Yet, that is not the end of this story, as a masterfully simple idea delivers a spine-chilling coda which show the ramifications of the events. In short, It Was Just an Accident is one of 2025's best films.
It Was Just An Accident played at the Bath Film Festival. It is available in U.S. cinemas now, and in U.K. cinemas from 5th December.
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