“Unpacking ‘It Was Just an Accident’: A Deep Dive into the 2025 Film Review by Roger Ebert”

Jafar Panahi’s film “It Was Just an Accident” captivates right from the start. We meet a couple, a husband and a pregnant wife, driving down a dark dirt road. Their music-filled journey takes a sharp turn when the husband accidentally hits a dog. The mother brushes it off, blaming God and poor visibility. This moment sets the stage for the couple’s lives to change forever.

After the accident, their car breaks down outside a small factory. An employee, Vahid, overhears a familiar sound: the shuffle of a prosthetic leg. Fear grips him when he thinks the driver might be Eghbal, a former intelligence officer who once tortured him. The film raises important questions. How do we hold onto our humanity when it’s been stripped away? And what does it mean to seek revenge when you’ve been victimized?

These themes hit close to home for Panahi. He faced imprisonment for his views in 2010 and continues to defy bans on filmmaking. With “It Was Just an Accident,” he explores personal and collective trauma by showing how characters navigate their dark pasts. Vahid’s decision to track the driver escalates into a tense confrontation. As he abducts the man and takes him into the desert, doubt creeps in. Is he acting on the right person?

Panahi skillfully uses lighting and sound to build tension. The driver’s red-lit face hints at deeper emotions. Each character’s connection to their trauma is intense. Vahid meets with Shiva, a photographer, and other former prisoners to confirm his suspicions about the driver. This process uncovers layers of pain and anger. They each rely on different senses to recognize him: sound, smell, and touch, highlighting their emotional scars.

Yet, there’s an unexpected lightness in the film. The dynamic between the characters brings humor to their dire circumstances. From breakdowns to misunderstandings, the moments often lead to laughter, weaving through the film’s darker themes. These interactions remind us that life goes on, even amid tragedy.

The film’s setting feels like a character itself. The confined space of the van becomes a moving prison. Panahi captures the tension through clever cinematography, especially during a long rant from Hamid in the desert. His outburst reflects the frustration many feel under oppressive regimes. Each character’s struggle to retain their humanity becomes central to the story.

Ultimately, “It Was Just an Accident” challenges viewers to reflect on the cycle of violence and the quest for moral clarity. Each actor delivers a strong performance, revealing the depths of their character’s dilemmas. The film builds a compelling narrative that resonates on multiple levels, touching on the power of cinema to explore the past, address the present, and envision a hopeful future.

The film premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and will be released on October 15, 2025. With Panahi’s meticulous craftsmanship, every moment is layered with meaning, making this film a significant entry in contemporary cinema.

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