Review: It Was Just an Accident
- CANNES 2025: A gripping tale of revenge and reckoning, Jafar Panahi’s latest drama lays bare the vicious cycle of violence under repression
Premiering in the Cannes Film Festival’s main competition, Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident [+see also:
trailer
film profile] is a quietly explosive piece of filmmaking – crafted in secrecy and set in contemporary Iran – that again showcases the director’s defiant voice and masterful control of narrative tension. A tale of unintended consequences and moral ambivalence, the film begins with a minor road accident and evolves into a taut chamber piece on guilt, revenge and the cyclical nature of violence.
The story centres on Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), an apparently quiet working-class man who unexpectedly encounters Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi), nicknamed Peg Leg, a former regime inspector and prison guard infamous for his cruelty. In a powerful prologue, Panahi introduces us to Eghbal and his family – his wife and young daughter – adding nuance to a man otherwise remembered for his brutality. A war veteran who lost a leg in Syria and who now walks with a prosthetic one, Eghbal carries both physical and moral scars. This initial character study sets the stage for what follows: Vahid’s impulsive decision to capture Eghbal, his former torturer.
The film’s middle section brings together a group of fellow victims: Shiva (Mariam Afshari), a sharp, level-headed photographer; Golrokh (Hadis Pakbaten) and her soon-to-be husband (Majid Panahi); and Hamid (Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr), a deeply sceptical and emotionally volatile figure who most vividly embodies the dilemma they all face – what should be done with Eghbal?
While the pic starts off slowly, it builds steadily towards a tense and morally fraught stand-off. One particularly memorable scene in a parked van – where an argument nearly exposes them to passing private security guards – manages to inject some much-needed levity into proceedings. Hamid’s shouting draws attention, and in a moment of absurdity, Vahid admits he’s got no cash and ultimately pays a bribe with a credit card, underscoring the surreal nature of their vigilante justice.
Most of the final act, shot in a stunning single take, is a tour de force. As tensions erupt, Panahi shifts the film from a straightforward tale of revenge to a broader meditation on power, violence and the corrosive effects of repression. What initially appears to be a clash between oppressor and oppressed reveals deeper, more universal dynamics: how violence, when internalised, can metastasise and take root even among its victims. The ensemble cast delivers outstanding performances, with Mobasseri, Afshari and Elyasmehr in particular anchoring the emotional stakes with raw intensity.
Amin Jafari’s cinematography plays a crucial role in conveying the film’s emotional terrain, and the camera maintains a firm, observational gaze. Leila Naghdi’s production design is equally effective, stripping the mise-en-scène of ornamentation in favour of a functional, realistic aesthetic. This pared-back approach aligns with the hallmarks typical of contemporary Iranian cinema: minimalism, emotional realism and a commitment to storytelling over spectacle.
In It Was Just an Accident, Panahi reaffirms his place as one of the most essential filmmakers working today. His latest is not only politically potent and formally inventive, but also deeply humane – a gripping, slow-burning narrative that culminates in an unexpectedly devastating finale. It is both timely and timeless, and deeply rooted in the social and political realities of Iran.
It Was Just an Accident was produced by Les Films Pelléas (France), and co-produced by Bidibul Productions (Luxembourg), Pio & Co (France) and Arte France Cinéma, in association with Memento (France) and mk2 Films (France). mk2 is also selling the picture worldwide.
Photogallery 21/05/2025: Cannes 2025 - It Was Just an Accident
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© 2025 Fabrizio de Gennaro for Cineuropa - fadege.it, @fadege.it
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