It Was Just an Accident Movie Review

It Was Just an Accident [Yek tasadof-e sadeh] (2025)

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Written by: Jafar Panahi (scenario), Nader Saeivar & Shadmehr Rastin & Mehdi Mahmoudian (scenario collaboration)
Directed by: Jafar Panahi
Starring: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Mohammad Ali Elyasmehr, Hadis Pakbaten
Rated: PG-13
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Plot
In this Persian language film, an unassuming mechanic is reminded of his time in an Iranian prison when he encounters a man he suspects to be his sadistic jailhouse captor. Panicked, he rounds up a few of his fellow ex-prisoners to confirm the man's identity.

Verdict
I don't live in a country where I could be kidnapped as a political prisoner. That alone is difficult to fathom. This is a movie about past trauma and a persecutor who never faced any consequences. Do you take matters in your own hands and right an injustice? Is combating violence with violence the answer? That's what these characters face. There's no government that will intercede on their behalf. They want justice for the crimes inflicted, but they don't know the best way to accomplish that. As the ending hints, you can never truly escape your past. It will always follow you.
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Review
Director Panahi's films have been banned in his home country of Iran. In 2010 he was sentenced to six years in prison and a twenty year ban on film making, charged with "propaganda against the Islamic Republic." Panahi continued making movies secretly. Panahi's world as this movie exemplifies is a place where you can be imprisoned for any criticisms of the regime. From there, it's prison and torture as a political prisoner.

Rashid (Ebrahim Azizi) and his family are driving at night when he accidentally hits a dog. He stops but realizes there is nothing to do about the dog. His wife reassures him, pointing out it wasn't intentional. The car starting is a sign, but just miles down the road the car stutters and stops at a nearby garage.

Inside the garage, Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri) hides from Rashid, causing us to wonder why. Vahid has a prosthetic leg that emits a distinct squeak as he walks. Vahid recognizes that sound, and the next day he follows Rashid, knocks him out, and kidnaps him. Vahid believes Rashid is his tormentor when he was wrongly imprisoned for propaganda against the regime, and he wants revenge. Vahid was jailed arguing for workers' rights.

Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari play Vahid, Shiva

When confronted, Rashid argues he's not the guy, and that causes Vahid to pause, doubting his instincts. Rashid states the scars on his leg are fresh. He can't be the guy. While Vahid doubts, this guy has to be willing to say anything in the situation. That and Vahid might be hesitant to kill someone. Violence is what separates him from Rashid. Vashid goes to a friend for help and confirmation. His friend refuses, but sends him to someone else. Being imprisoned for fabricated crimes isn't an isolated event. Vahid drives to wedding photographer Shiva (Mariam Afshari) to identify Rashid. Shiva is in the middle of a session, but the bride was also tormented by this man. None of them can identify their tormentor Eghbal beyond a doubt. Is Rashid Eghbal? They were all blindfolded while in prison. They think it's him, but there's a sliver of doubt.

With the implication that Rashid is Eghbal, the fist scene becomes more ominous. Rashid hit a dog but his wife argues it wasn't intentional and the car starting was a sign. Is the car soon dying also a sign? The fact that he walked into Vahid's shop becomes a marker that he deserves punishment if we play into the signs. Eghbal's violence against many people was distinctly intentional. Is this guy Rashid or Eghbal?

Mohammad Ali Elyasmehr, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi play Hamid, Goli, Ali

All of them are facing this trauma of being wrongfully imprisoned and wanting justice. Is repaying that violence in kind the answer? They have different concerns and ideas, and there's no one way to fix the situation. At this point they're half way there. That's the push and pull. They don't want to resort to the same punishment and torture that Eghbal inflicted, but he also deserves to feel the pain. Why should he get away with what he did, facing no repercussions?

The longer they delay a resolution, the more entangled things become. They decide to go to Rashid's family, posing as friends when Rashid's daughter calls his phone in a panic. Eventually only Vashid and Shiva remain as the others become frustrated. The two tie Rashid to a tree, and after coercion Rashid finally admits he is Eghbal. He states they deserved the punishment they got, and if they didn't, that will be resolved in Heaven. It's such a callous admission.

With the conclusion, Vahid has to wonder if he made the right choice. Then he hears what sounds like Eghbal's squeaking walk. Is it an assertion that the regime will always use intimidation tactics and that's why they can overpower their opposition? Or, and this is where I land, is it a metaphor that Eghbal will always follow Vahid. He'll always hear that squeaking leg due to a trauma and past that's never too far away. 

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