Un Simple Accident

Overrated. Linear narrative with no twists. Evens seem expected ' or too banal to be expected, or useful. Dialogue is average or below average. At times reduced to mere rant. Characters seem caricaturic at times. Photography is as average. Way overrated. I Don't understand how it won Palm d'or. Politics I guess.

This was surely a sentimental choice for the top prize at Cannes, a tribute to Panahi's undoubted achievement in getting it made rather than a recognition of truly outstanding cinema. Tonally uneven, indifferently acted and its script peppered with on-the-nose dialogue that daubs highlighter on its 'cycle of violence' theme, I found it all rather tedious. It's only in a long static shot in the last 15 minutes that the film comes to any dramatic life, but even this scene fails to truly convince.

Will this be in anyone's list of the best films of the 2020s when we get to that reckoning, or will it have been largely forgotten like that other Palme Dud, 'Dheepan'? I think I know the answer.

I really hope Panahi watches his back cause boy oh boy does he upset the Iranian regime... I mean the topic of this story IS the reason to watch it. People demanding their rights are suppressed, held up hostage, tortured, terrified and traumatized for the rest of their lives.

As for the movie it's a little too loose and as expected of Panahi very talky. The characters are a motley crew of personalities, behaviours, compulsions and obsessions. And damn all these people pick their pockets dry just cause there's a bride. And a newborn. Tipping culture (sorry gift giving) run amok.

Frankly wasn't high up there with the rest of his celebrated movies.

But I really did not expect the twist in the story, I really thought these guys were just crazy. And I found the ending very uncomfortable. But maybe the best choice cause it makes sense for this type of world.

Watched on Sydney Film Festival 2025

Jafar Panahi's Palme d'Or winner, It Was Just an Accident, isn't just a film; it's a gripping, morally fraught journey that grabs you and refuses to let go long after the credits roll. Forget a simple fender bender - this story ignites when a minor traffic scrape leads former political prisoner Vahid to believe he's cornered "Peg Leg," the man who brutally tortured him years before. Talk about wrong place, wrong time... or is it?

Panahi plunges us straight into the suffocating tension. Vahid gathers fellow survivors, each etched with their own raw pain and simmering rage, turning a car ride into a claustrophobic tribunal. Their desperate mission? To confirm the terrified captive Ebrahim Azizi's identity and decide his fate. It's here the film truly digs its claws in, forcing you to grapple alongside them: Where does the desperate need for justice end and the cycle of vengeance begin? Can victims ever be justified in mirroring their oppressor's cruelty? Panahi masterfully blurs these lines, offering zero easy outs.

The brilliance lies in the raw humanity. While exploring the primal pull of revenge - that fierce, almost instinctive reclaiming of power - the film never loses sight of the complex, painful possibility of forgiveness. It's not presented as some saintly virtue, but as a messy, agonising internal battle played out on the faces of a stunningly authentic, mostly non-professional cast. Their barely contained fury sits right alongside profound vulnerability. Can empathy survive such deep scars?

Don't mistake this for unrelenting gloom, though. Panahi weaves in moments of sharp, absurdist gallows humour that land perfectly, highlighting the surreal contradictions of life under the boot. Visually restrained but emotionally potent, the film relies on evocative camerawork and powerhouse subtle performances. The deliberate pacing makes you sit with every gut-wrenching dilemma and fleeting connection.

Ultimately, It Was Just an Accident transcends revenge thriller territory. A pivotal, unexpected third-act twist delivers a stunning gut-punch: a stark reminder that even amidst profound trauma, a flicker of human compassion can endure. The devastating climax and its haunting final moments linger, leaving you with a fragile sense of hope wrestled from the jaws of despair. Panahi crafts a defiant, unforgettable cinematic challenge - a film that doesn't just tell a story, but forces you to confront the darkest corners of justice, power, and whether healing is even possible. It demands your attention and refuses to offer simple answers. Fair crack of the whip, this one sticks with you.

There's a lot to say about this film. If there's one thing Iranians share as a nation, it's intergenerational trauma, rage, and hatred toward the last two regimes - one, the other, or both - and the lingering question of what to do with all that, with or without the current regime. This masterpiece by Jafar Panahi captures it perfectly.