What’s intended as a small act of kindness instead sets a traumatized everyman on a twisting path of revenge in this morally complex, psychologically astute thriller from the legendary Jafar Panahi. Having offered some late-night assistance to Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi) in the wake of an auto accident, Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri) grows convinced that he recognizes the supposed stranger’s voice as that of his torturer during a grueling prison spell. Enlisting others who endured interrogation at the hands of the same callous tormentor, Vahid abducts Eghbal and tries to motivate himself to brutally balance the scales of justice. But Eghbal insists, and quite compellingly so, that Vahid’s vigilantes have the wrong man.
Of course, Panahi is well-acquainted with the wraith of Iranian authorities. Directed in the wake of his latest incarceration for criticizing the government, It Was Just an Accident sees Panahi retaining his cutting sense of humour when it comes to cruel twists of fate, while drawing on an overt sense of outrage. Deserved winner of Cannes’ Palme d’Or, his latest is a dizzying, uncompromising tour-de-force.
Palme d’Or, Cannes 2025; Oscar Submission: France
Jafar Panahi
Vahid Mobasseri, Ebrahim Azizi, Madjid Panahi, Maryam Afshari, Hadis Pakbaten, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Iran/France/Luxembourg
2025
In Farsi with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Credits
Producer
Philippe Martin, Jafar Panahi
Screenwriter
Jafar Panahi
Cinematography
Amin Jafari
Editor
Amir Etminan
Production Design
Leila Naghdi
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Jay Kelly
In Noah Baumbach's wise and witty comedy, George Clooney plays Jay Kelly, a world-famous movie star touring Europe with his friend and manager, Ron (Adam Sandler). Faced with nagging dissatisfaction, Jay starts to ask himself some tough questions.
Little Amelie or the Character of Rain
Baby Amelie believes herself to be a god. Her parents (Belgian diplomats in 60s Japan) can barely cope -- but find the perfect nanny to restore order in this delightful animated feature.
Peter Hujar's Day
Ben Whishaw is extraordinary in this conjuring trick of a movie from Ira Sachs (Passages), a minimalist masterpiece recreating a conversation between New York photographer Hujar and writer Linda Rosenkrantz in 1974.
