It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Starring: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi

Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT is a fearless tour-de-force from cinematic luminary Jafar Panahi. Both urgently political and deeply humane, this new moral classic confronts truth and uncertainty, revenge and mercy, head-on. When auto mechanic Vahid unexpectedly encounters the man who may have been his torturer in prison, he kidnaps him with the intention to exact vengeance. But since the sole clue to Eghbal’s identity is the distinct squeak of his prosthetic leg, Vahid turns to a loose circle of other now-freed victims for confirmation. And the danger only escalates. As they deal with their past and diverging worldviews, the group struggles to decide: Is this him, without a doubt? What would retribution mean, in actuality? Unraveling against the ever-present backdrop of authoritarianism, IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT coalesces into a climactic act of resistance by an Iranian auteur who is no stranger to unjust detainment himself. Powered by thrilling momentum and peerless craft, France’s Best International Feature Film entry to the 98th Academy Awards® asks us to consider – and reconsider – the line between right and wrong.

Running time including trailers: 2 hours 9 mins