It Was Just an Accident – How Far Would You Go for Justice?
From the very first frame, It Was Just an Accident bears Jafar Panahi’s unmistakable signature. The camera lingers in ways that intrigue and disorient; we follow, but we do not yet understand the motives or the stakes. Why is this man shadowing the car owner to his house? Panahi delays revelation, letting suspense and curiosity build organically, a hallmark of his patient, morally attentive cinema.
Equally striking is his portrayal of women in contemporary Iranian society. They are independent and self-determined, commanding respect from men, pursuing professions, and unapologetically asserting their sexual agency. Panahi’s lens refuses the reductive stereotypes often imposed on Iranian women, instead presenting them as complex, empowered individuals navigating a society at once modern and constrained.
At its philosophical core, the film asks: are we as bad as the bad guys? Among the five central characters, only one has the resolve — or the moral collapse — to mirror the cruelty inflicted upon them. While the others live relatively ordinary lives, surrounded by functioning hospitals, good cars, weddings, and modern residences, corruption itself has evolved, becoming quieter, more efficient, and technologically sophisticated. The chosen act of vengeance is deeply unsettling: the desire to bury the man alive. It is not an impulsive killing, not a gunshot or a stab wound as we might expect in American cinema, but a slow, deliberate erasure — a punishment that forces the avenger to confront time, hesitation, and conscience itself.
I’m curious to hear your thoughts: which character’s moral boundary felt closest to your own? Does Panahi suggest that vengeance inevitably contaminates the victim, or does he leave room for moral exception? And how did his portrayal of everyday Iranian life — especially women — reshape or challenge your expectations? Share your reactions and let’s open a conversation around one of the most unsettling and necessary films of the year.
