Movie Review: It Was Just an Accident

I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I had thus far not gotten to watch any of the films of Iranian director Jafar Panâhi. Having released several acclaimed works over the past few decades, many of which were produced clandestinely while banned from working by the ruling regime, he is widely held to be one of the most important voices working in film today. Therefore, I did not know what to expect from his latest, It Was Just an Accident, which was once again produced in secret, without the approval of the Islamic Republic. Having seen it I definitely need to catch up on his past work.

After hitting a stray dog and damaging his car, Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi) winds up broken down and stranded outside a workshop belonging to Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), an ethnic Azerbaijani who is stunned to recognize the sound Eghbal’s prosthetic leg makes while walking as belonging to “Peg Leg”, a particularly cruel torturer from his time being held in an Iranian prison.

Vahid has long yearned to get revenge against those responsible for his unjust imprisonment and, now sensing an opportunity to do so, he follows Eghbal, kidnaps him, and brings him to the desert to kill him. Eghbal of course denies being who Vahid thinks he is however and manages to plant enough of a seed of doubt that Vahid decides he needs more proof first. So, he drives back into town and begins tracking down others who were tormented at Peg Leg’s hands in the hopes they can positively identify him, building up a larger and larger party (played by Mariam Afshari, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, and Mohammad Ali Elyasmehr) who have each been handling their suffering in their own ways and have very different ideas on how to proceed.

If that sounds to you like the potential set-up for a farce you’re not far off. Despite the extremely heavy subject matter, dark humor bursts through several times. Iran’s cruel mistreatment of its Azeri minority is no laughing matter of course, and Panahi doesn’t make light of it. The smart script and the cast’s nuanced performances ably express the lasting emotional scars these human rights abuses have left on their victims, who still struggle to maintain their humanity while coping with swirling eddies of sadness and rage.

The main plot sets into motion pretty early on, and from there viewers are left to wonder whether their captive is really their abuser and what they will do with him in either case. Both questions are answered by the end, but it’s a suspenseful ride getting there, with the lack of score and “you-are-there” camera work lend even more urgency to the already tense set-up.

This is a remarkable achievement, telling a lot of story with very little. Much of the runtime is spent in and around a van, watching the group debate their volatile and increasingly absurd situation, and thanks to the talent of all involved it is never less than riveting. An indictment of his home country’s crimes as well as an examination of who should be allowed to decide what justice might look like, Panahi proves a master of the medium. Through wild tonal shifts that somehow feel effortless and natural, he offers up a memorable treatise on what makes us human, all leading up to a final scene that may rank as the single best moment in movies this year. ★★★★★