It Was Just an Accident

by Tyler Glover

Photo: Neon

Director: Jafar Panahi
Starring: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari & Ebrahim Azizi
Rated: PG-13 (thematic elements, violence, strong language and smoking)
Runtime: 1 hour & 43 minutes

​Until recently, I was never one to watch foreign-language films. It made me feel disconnected from the movie, having to read what they were saying while the action was unfolding. However, back in 2019, director Bong Joon Ho released one of the best films of all time: the Best Picture Oscar winner “Parasite.” The movie was gripping, thrilling and unlike anything I had ever seen before. It was then and there that I decided that if a film was getting a lot of buzz and praise, I would not let the fact that it was in a foreign language stop me from watching it.  
 
This year, there have been some incredible international films. Norway’s “A Sentimental Value,” Brazil’s “The Secret Agent,” and the best one, Iran’s “It Was Just an Accident.” After watching “It Was Just An Accident,” it is not shocking to learn that it won the Palm d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Directed by Jafar Panahi, the film follows Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), a car mechanic who helps a man with a prosthetic leg (Ebrahim Azizi), repair his car after he accidentally hits and kills a dog. When the mysterious man calls his mother on the phone, Vahid becomes convinced that this man is Eghbal, his former tormentor when he was in an Iranian prison. Vahid follows him and kidnaps him, preparing to kill him. The man claims not to be Eghbal, and since Vahid was blindfolded during the imprisonment, he becomes unsure. Vahid seeks out help from other people who had been imprisoned by Eghbal: Shiva (Mariam Afshari), Goli (Hadis Pakbaten), Ali (Majid Panahi) and Hamid (Mohammad Ali Elyasmehr). The stakes keep rising as they try to figure out whether they have the right man.  
 
Panahi has been in hot water for the release of this film because it criticizes the Iranian government and highlights its unfair oppression of its citizens. The Iranian government claims the film is unfounded propaganda aimed at them, but over 150 artists signed a public statement applauding Panahi as an “outstanding and courageous Iranian filmmaker.” It took courage to make this film. Panahi not only highlighted the oppression of the Iranian government but also made one of the best films of the year in the process. 
 
Panahi’s direction deserves the Oscar for Best Director (though Paul Thomas Anderson is likely the front-runner for “One Battle After Another.” His vision in all the elements of telling this story is near perfection. Our hearts are racing as our protagonist tries his best to uncover the truth. The man could very well be innocent, and all of this could be a big misunderstanding. The uncertainty of his identity keeps us enthralled. Panahi has us going back and forth on what we believe the truth to be. The screenplay is absolutely brilliant. There are so many additional complications in the story that leave us glued to the screen until the final scene. The final shot of this film will stay with me forever. That is truly the mark of a remarkable director: making those choices that make their film stand out as something original and unlike anything we have ever seen. 

One thing that truly shocked me was learning that only the main actor, Vahid Mobasseri, is a professional actor. All of the other cast members are not formally trained in the field, but this also allows for the performances to feel more grounded in reality. The fact that Panahi gets these amazing performances from non-professional actors is remarkable. Panahi helps these newly hired actors find their characters' voices, turning them into people we genuinely care about. I would have never suspected that most of the cast was not formally trained.

If you are someone who wants to see a truly thrilling and gripping movie, it would be no accident for you to choose “It Was Just an Accident.”