Like many Iranian films, It Was Just An Accident stands for justice and freedom of speech in the country. This is a special category that gave the world some recent masterpieces like Tatami or The Seed Of The Sacred Fig in 2024. The particularity of Panahi is that he was one of the first of these Iranian directors to become known worldwide, notably winning a Golden Bear in Berlin in 2015. However, his numerous films resulted in him being sentenced to 6 years in prison for propaganda against the Iranian regime in 2010.
Despite being officially forbidden by his government to make movies on Iranian territory, he broke that rule more than once making independent movies, It Was Just An Accident being the latest one. It pushes the strengths of the previous films to the maximum, the most important being the storytelling. In many ways, the storytelling of the film is brilliant. Like Panahi did for Taxi Théran in 2015, the storytelling is simple and not overworked.
The story goes on without presentation of the initial situation, and without any idea of what the final objective represents or even the synopsis itself. Therefore, every second that passes is another clue to what story this film is presenting. This makes the audience never lose their attention from the film, because they need to stay until the end. Crucially, it has an ending which does it all: it freezes the blood with a strange simplicity, impresses by the acting and delivers an infinitely deep moral as only Iranian cinema knows how to do.
...they manage to switch from comedy to tragedy in two seconds...
Consequently, not knowing the plot is mandatory to get a full cinematic experience. Regardless of the story, the numerous one shot takes that are a signature of Panahi, the simplicity of the cinematography and the comedy moments that pop up frequently are all the more reasons to go see the film. Besides the direction, the casting is also an important component of the film's triumph. Thanks to their talents, they manage to switch from comedy to tragedy in two seconds and keep the lines during sequence shots which can reach ten minutes and transmit to us all their rage and their desire for freedom, which has earned them the name in certain reviews of: the Iranian Avengers.
In a few days the competition for the award season will start, and this new Palme d’Or is on its way for Best Foreign Film, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and Best Ensemble Cast in all the ceremonies that arise. May luck accompany them on their noble battle. When art was created, some thought that it would be the best way to entertain people. Others thought it represents an excellent way to convey an important message that would not be strong enough with words. Here, it can be both.
As Jafar Panahi said in his speech at Cannes: “Because we love cinema, no one dictates what we make and what not to make”