Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, It Was Just an Accident is a fearless tour-de-force from cinematic luminary Jafar Panahi. Both urgently political and deeply humane, this new moral classic confronts truth and uncertainty, revenge and mercy, head-on.
When auto mechanic Vahid unexpectedly encounters the man who may have been his torturer in prison, he kidnaps him with the intention to exact vengeance. But since the sole clue to Eghbal’s identity is the distinct squeak of his prosthetic leg, Vahid turns to a loose circle of other now-freed victims for confirmation. And the danger only escalates. As they deal with their past and diverging worldviews, the group struggles to decide: Is this him, without a doubt? What would retribution mean, in actuality?
The Garden Cinema View:
Often classified by the media as a thriller or action film, the Palme d'Or 2025 winner It Was Just an Accident is closer to absurdist comedy - an intriguing fusion of Samuel Beckett and slapstick.
Through characters debating opposing viewpoints, Panahi offers a Socratic dialectical debate unfolding in real time: when we seek revenge, do we become like our predators? Should we interrupt the chain of violence by abstaining from it, or strike back, given that bad people will remain unchanged? If we show empathy, will it be reciprocated? Is forgiveness the right path, or does it enable further harm? Is our malice shaped by systemic dysfunction, or do we bear individual responsibility?
A deeply philosophical piece that also deftly functions as a comedy, It Was Just an Accident is filmmaking of the highest order.
