It Was Just an Accident
Travelling down a dark road, a family’s elated mood on their drive home is quickly shattered when the father (Ebrahim Azizi) fatally injures a dog. But the dead animal and the damage to the vehicle are only the beginning. The accident sets off a chain of consequences, culminating in the father’s abduction by a group of strangers who level harsh accusations against him.
With It Was Just an Accident (Un simple accident), director Jafar Panahi (Taxi, No Bears) – who won the Caméra d’Or on his first appearance at Cannes in 1995 and has since been officially banned from filmmaking by the Iranian government – delivers a tale of karmic redemption. A contender for the Palme d’Or, the film is full of sharp turns and misdirections, deliberately misleading the audience about where it’s headed. This playful deception begins in the affectionate long opening shot, which introduces the family warmly – even as bits of dialogue from the bouncy child in the back seat hint at secrets behind their cheerful façade. As the narrative switches perspectives, and the car’s mechanic assembles a group to help him with the father’s abduction, the story leans into situational comedy before allowing the deeper shades of suffering to seep through.
Panahi laces the film with potent imagery, most notably the recurring motif of the blindfold, which functions both literally and metaphorically – alluding to the personification of justice, even as the protagonists debate how justice might be achieved in their situation. The ethical quandaries never feel contrived or imposed; instead, they emerge organically through sincere and often conflicting perspectives.
While inextricably linked to the director’s experiences in his home country and Iran’s treatment of dissidents, It Was Just an Accident also serves as a broader reflection on the dark state the world finds itself in. Both a gripping thriller and a piece of moral suasion, it confronts uncomfortable truths and leaves lingering questions long after the credits roll.
Selina Sondermann
It Was Just an Accident does not have a release date yet.
Read more reviews from our Cannes Film Festival coverage here.
For further information about the event visit the Cannes Film Festival website here.
Watch a clip from It Was Just an Accident here:
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