IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT
Starring: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, and Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Director: Jafar Panahi
QUENTIN
Tonally, It Was Just an Accident is unexpected. Generally speaking, it has tension without being tense and humor without being funny, but director Jafar Panahi’s ability to walk that tightrope is a major reason why the film works as well as it does. Make no mistake, the commentary on authoritarianism, which is as applicable to the Iranian regime as it is to current American politics, is morally complex and thought provoking as it explores the cycle of revenge and violence between oppressors and the oppressed. But that tonal balance keeps it accessible by not letting it slip too far into darkness. It’s a worthy Palme d’Or winner.
ADRIANO
There's something very fascinating when you walk out of a movie not sure how to talk about it, yet you know that you just watched something extraordinary. Writer/director Jafar Panahi's Palme d'Or winner It Was Just an Accident is structured like a comedy of errors, yet it's a haunting and wonderfully acted reflection of the scars left on the victims of Iran's government. Its morally interesting plot questions humanity's ability for cruelty in an unjust society, and if you don't leave the film staggered by its final 20 minutes, I'll be impressed.
AMARÚ
As I was watching It Was Just An Accident unfold, I couldn’t decipher if it was meant to be a tragic drama or a dark-as-hell comedy of errors. Whatever the purpose, I was fully engrossed with the thrilling mystery. As the titular accident snowballs into continuing unfathomable circumstances as it brings each new character into the fold, director Jafar Panahi somehow balances intense political atrocities with cathartic releases of uncomfortable humor. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it, and when the credits rolled, I was exclaiming emotions I won’t spoil for when you watch. Please find a way to watch this wholly human thriller.
This film was reviewed by Adriano and Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival and the 2025 International FilmFestival Mannheim-Heidelberg, respectively.