It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi
Script: Jafar Panahi
Cinematography: Amin Jafari
Editing: Amir Etminan
Producers: Jafar Panahi, Philippe Martin
Cast: Vahid Mobasseri, Maryam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Mohamed Ali Elyasmehr, Georges Hashemzadeh

Iran, France, Luxembourg 2025
102′

language: persian, english
subtitles: polish-english

It all begins with the titular incident. A car breakdown on the way home forces a married couple and their young daughter to stop at a roadside garage. They encounter two mechanics there: one offers to help, while the other—Vahid—watches from a distance.

Vahid is a former political prisoner, arrested during anti-government protests. The torture he endured during interrogation left him with lasting injuries, so that every step now causes him pain. In the unexpected visitor, Vahid recognizes his tormentor: a police commissioner known among inmates as “the Cripple.” Driven by vengeance, he decides to abduct the man, hoping it will bring him peace of mind. But first, he must confront his own doubts—beginning with whether this is truly the right man, and ultimately whether revenge can ever be the proper form of justice.

Repressed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi returns with a work that—like his earlier films—strikes powerfully at the authoritarian regime, while also offering a deeply human reflection on trauma, forgiveness, and morality.