It Was Just An Accident – Film Review
by Frank L

Director – Jafar Panahi
Writer – Jafar Panahi
Stars – Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi

Jafar Panahi continues to defy the Iranian authorities. In 2010, he was imprisoned. He was subsequently released, placed under house arrest and banned from filmmaking. But he is ever resourceful and determined. Defiantly, he continues to make films. He does so with limited resources. He is a fearless and insightful critic of the Iranian authorities.

The film begins with Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi) driving in the dark. Beside him is his pregnant wife, and in the back seat is his daughter who is playing. There is an unexpected clunk. The car has hit something, which transpires to be a dog. It is indeed just an accident – the inevitable collateral damage when driving in the dark. All seems well, but it isn’t. Shortly thereafter, the car starts to make disturbing sounds. Fortuitously, a garage is not that far away. One Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri) works there. The driver’s limp now becomes apparent, and Vahid believes he knows this man as his torturer when he was detained by the authorities. His torturer had a limp, and his prosthesis squeaked slightly when he walked. He bides his time, and a couple of days later, he apprehends Eghbal.  He also makes contact with others who he knows have suffered at the hands of Eghbal, including a photographer, Shiva (Mariam Afshari). She, by chance, is taking wedding photographs of Goli (Hadis Pakbeten) and her groom Ali (Majid Panahi), who are other victims together with a bookseller and a young man who has an explosive temperament. Vahid detains the man and then begins a series of twists and turns to determine if he is actually their torturer.

The various highways and byways by which the story unfolds are manifold, but Panahi manages to keep what seems incredible within the credible. There are elements of a madcap journey, and there are certain moments of high comedy. Panahi gives glimpses of the corruption and of the violence which is buried deep in the heart of the regime. Vahid and his band of followers have to confirm to themselves that the apprehended man is the torturer and then determine what to do with him.

Each member of the cast is entirely convincing. Given the challenges and restrictions under which the film was made, it is a testament to their skill. As a film, it has already won several international awards, including the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival 2025. It is a monument to the bravery of those who resist as best they can the tyranny of a totalitarian regime. Cinema as an art form can be proud of this film and of Jafar Panahi and the brave creatives who worked with him to make it happen.