---
title: "It Was Just an Accident"
year: 2025
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/it-was-just-an-accident"
fi1m_id: "it-was-just-an-accident"
imdb_id: "tt36491653"
tmdb_id: 1456349
wikidata_id: "Q133866932"
fi1m_score: 84
critics_score: 82
critics_reviews: 23
published: "2026-09-30T22:41:11.554049+00:00"
updated: "2026-09-30T22:41:40.655992+00:00"
region: "BG"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# It Was Just an Accident (2025)

Directed by Jafar Panahi · 1h 43m · Drama, Thriller, Crime, Mystery

## Identity

It Was Just an Accident

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/it-was-just-an-accident
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** it-was-just-an-accident
- **IMDb ID:** tt36491653
- **TMDB ID:** 1456349
- **Wikidata ID:** Q133866932
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt36491653/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1456349, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133866932

**Fi1m score: 84** · Critics 82 from 23 reviews

*In a sentence:* A kidnapping that keeps stopping so the kidnappers can argue about whether they have the right man

> Jafar Panahi, filming without permission after his own spell in prison, puts a torturer in the back of a van and lets his victims argue over him for a hundred minutes. It is funny, frightening and morally serious, and it talks a little too much.

## Synopsis

Tehran. Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi) is driving home at night with his pregnant wife (Afsaneh Najm Abadi) and small daughter (Delmaz Najafi) when he hits a dog and the car breaks down. He pushes it to a workshop where Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), a mechanic, is working late. Vahid does not get a look at the customer’s face. He hears the squeak of the man’s artificial leg, and he knows it from the prison where he was held and beaten, blindfolded, years before. The next day he follows Eghbal, forces him into the back of his van and drives into the desert with a spade. Eghbal swears he is the wrong man. Unsure, Vahid goes to find Shiva (Mariam Afshari), another former prisoner, who is photographing a bride, Golrokh (Hadis Pakbaten), and her groom, Ali (Majid Panahi).

## Review

Jafar Panahi has made films under a ban, a film in his flat, a film in a taxi, and now a film after prison, and this is the angriest of them. It is also, for long stretches, a comedy. Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi) is driving home at night with his pregnant wife (Afsaneh Najm Abadi) and small daughter (Delmaz Najafi) when he hits a dog. The car limps to a workshop where Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri) is working late. Vahid never gets a proper look at the customer. He hears him instead: a squeak in the man’s artificial leg, the same squeak that used to come down the corridor towards his cell. The next day Vahid puts Eghbal in the back of his van and drives into the desert with a spade.

Then he stops. He was blindfolded in prison. He never saw the face of the man who beat him, and a leg is not a face. So *It Was Just an Accident* becomes a film about a mechanic driving round Tehran with a possibly innocent man in a wooden box, collecting other former prisoners who might be able to say for certain. Shiva (Mariam Afshari), a photographer, is mid-shoot with a bride, Golrokh (Hadis Pakbaten), and her groom, Ali (Majid Panahi), when the van pulls up. Hamid (Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr) wants a shovel and no discussion. Nobody can agree whether Eghbal is Eghbal, or what a decent person does with him if he is.

We recommend it, and not only for what it took to make. Panahi was banned from filmmaking in 2010 and jailed again in 2022; this was shot without permission, and the women in it go bareheaded, which alone would keep it out of Iranian cinemas. The squeak did something to us. It is a small sound, and Panahi holds on Mobasseri’s face while he hears it, and we understood before a word had been spoken that this was a man who has spent years listening for it.

The comedy is in the errands. Every uniform the van meets wants paying, from Mohsen Maleki’s security guard on down, and the kidnappers count out notes for officials while the man in the box waits in the van outside. We laughed a good deal and the laughter had an edge, because the joke is that the country runs on small cash payments and everyone on screen knows the tariff. Amin Jafari shoots most of it in long takes, inside the van in daylight and out on dust roads in the flat afternoon, and he does not move the camera unless somebody moves first. Amir Etminan cuts as little as he can; scenes run until the argument runs out. Leila Naghdi Pari’s production design is mostly a workshop, a van, a box and a white wedding dress, and the dress against the desert is the image we kept.

The performances are the case for the film. Azizi plays Eghbal as a reasonable, frightened family man, and the film’s trick is that this proves nothing either way. Afshari’s Shiva argues for evidence and for the law, and keeps arguing when nobody wants to hear it. Pakbaten’s Golrokh says what was done to her in one plain sentence and then has to go on standing there in her dress. Elyasmehr’s Hamid is all fists and shouting, and the film does not pretend he is wrong. Mobasseri, at the centre, is quiet almost throughout, and it is the quiet of someone who has rehearsed this for years and finds the rehearsal is no use.

The flaws are the flaws of a film made in a hurry by a man with a great deal to say. The talk goes round. The same position is restated in the same words in three different lay-bys, and Etminan’s patience, elsewhere a virtue, lets it. The premise is a fable’s coincidence, of all the workshops in Tehran, and we had to decide early to accept it. One or two speeches are aimed past the other characters at us. No composer is credited, and the silence is right, but it also leaves the dialogue nowhere to hide.

The last stretch is a confrontation we will not describe, and then a final shot and a final sound. That sound frightened us more than anything else in the film, and we are still arguing with ourselves about what it means.

It is a 12A, which is correct. Almost nothing violent is shown. Everything that hurts in it has already happened.

*Fi1m score 84, published 30 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews lean strongly positive, and no critic writes the film off. Most describe it as a moral thriller about revenge that refuses to settle the question it raises, and most are struck by how Jafar Panahi keeps dark comedy and political anger in the same frame without one undercutting the other. Praise clusters on the writing: the ex-prisoners’ clashing temperaments, the road trip whose growing cast complicates the pursuit of justice, and the satire of officials with their hands out. Several also single out the long, static takes and Vahid Mobasseri’s performance.

The reservations are small and scattered rather than shared. The Observer finds the dialogue can go round in circles. Paste notes an occasional theatricality. The New Yorker thinks the coincidences feel like a fable and the moral argument abstract, though the account of trauma outweighs both. The Los Angeles Times suggests the central mystery hems in the drama. Nobody disagrees on the verdict; the argument is about how much the construction shows.

## Straight answers

**Is It Was Just an Accident worth watching?**

*It Was Just an Accident* is worth watching, and we scored it 84. Jafar Panahi puts a suspected torturer in the back of a mechanic's van and lets his former victims argue over whether they have the right man, and the result is funny, frightening and morally serious. It talks a little too much in its middle stretch, and the premise asks you to accept one large coincidence early on.

**How long is It Was Just an Accident, and what is it rated?**

*It Was Just an Accident* runs 1h 43m. It is a drama and thriller film.

**Where can I watch It Was Just an Accident in Bulgaria?**

*It Was Just an Accident* is not on any streaming or rental service in Bulgaria at the moment. It is available in 23 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How does It Was Just an Accident compare to The Act of Killing?**

*It Was Just an Accident* is a fiction about victims deciding what to do with a man who may have tortured them, while [*The Act of Killing*](https://film.one/film/the-act-of-killing) is a documentary in which real killers cheerfully re-enact their crimes. The Panahi film is the funnier and more tightly plotted of the two; the Oppenheimer is the more frightening, and supplies less history around its subjects. We recommend both, with the documentary the harder watch.

**What should I watch after It Was Just an Accident?**

After *It Was Just an Accident*, try [*The Act of Killing*](https://film.one/film/the-act-of-killing) (2012, Fi1m 88): Indonesian death-squad veterans re-enact their crimes; the smiling is the horror. Then [*A Separation*](https://film.one/film/a-separation) (2011, Fi1m 93): Farhadi’s Tehran divorce, where every lie is reasonable and every truth costs someone.

### Reviews we read (23)

- **Evening Standard**, Nick Howells (5/5): Howells calls the film devastatingly superb and a likely best film of the year. He praises its deft blend of comedy, revenge thriller and political horror, especially its measured craft and subtle final sting. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/it-was-just-an-accident-review-london-film-festival-jafar-panahi-b1252433.html)
- **Little White Lies**, David Jenkins (4/5/5): Jenkins finds the film gripping, generous and powerful, while noting its unsettling shift toward an ambiguous stance on revenge. He praises Panahi’s finely calibrated storytelling and the way the road-trip’s expanding cast complicates the characters’ pursuit of justice. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/it-was-just-an-accident)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (5/5): The review presents Panahi’s film as a forceful, darkly funny success. It singles out the Coen-esque abduction tale and its cudgel-like impact. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/a-simple-accident-review-2025)
- **The AV Club**, Natalia Keogan (A-): Keogan finds the film tensely riveting and a radical condemnation of state repression. She praises its scathing humor, especially the scenes that expose the everyday normalization of corruption. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/it-was-just-an-accident-review)
- **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (90/100, inferred): Ebiri finds the film extraordinarily powerful and endlessly fascinating. He particularly praises Panahi’s vivid, emotionally grounded characters and the film’s gripping treatment of revenge and uncertainty. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-the-powerful-cannes-winner-it-was-just-an-accident.html)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Jordan Mintzer (85/100, inferred): Mintzer finds the film a shrewdly crafted, powerful vengeance drama that condemns the lasting effects of abusive power. He singles out Panahi’s careful visual craft and the ensemble performances. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/it-was-just-an-accident-review-jafar-panahi-iran-1236222539/)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge (Critics Pick): Debruge praises the film as a powerful, furious moral dilemma that openly warns Iran’s oppressors. He singles out its mordant humor as an unexpected counterpoint to its anger. [Read](https://variety.com/2025/film/reviews/it-was-just-an-accident-review-jafar-panahi-1236403835/)
- **IndieWire**, David Ehrlich (B+): Ehrlich praises the film as a tense, gripping moral thriller that resists easy answers about justice and revenge. He singles out Panahi’s careful handling of the ex-prisoners’ conflicting perspectives and the moral uncertainty surrounding their captive. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/it-was-just-an-accident-movie-review-jafar-panahi-1235124899/)
- **Sight and Sound**, BFI (80/100, inferred): The review praises Panahi’s morally complex and politically charged revenge thriller as a confident, searing work. It singles out Vahid Mobasseri’s nuanced performance and the film’s understated storytelling for praise. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/it-was-just-accident-jafar-panahi-explores-morality-violent-revenge-his-deserving-palme-dor-winner)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (80/100, inferred): Bradshaw finds the film a tough, impressive serio-comic work that exposes the pain of tyranny. He praises its acid satire of Iranian officialdom’s appetite for bribes. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/20/a-simple-accident-review-jafar-panahi-iran)
- **Slant Magazine**, Mark Hanson (3/4): Hanson finds the film a sharply satiric, seriocomic morality play about how tyranny turns people into worse versions of themselves. He praises the characters’ vivid clashing temperaments and the film’s incisive depiction of corruption. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/it-was-just-an-accident-review-jafar-panahi/)
- **The New Yorker** (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the film’s fable-like coincidences and moral abstractions outweighed by its forceful depiction of trauma. They single out the vivid details of lives shattered by political violence. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/it-was-just-an-accident-10-20-25)
- **The Observer**, Wendy Ide (75/100, inferred): Ide finds the film a furious, forceful attack on the Iranian regime, though its dialogue can feel circular. She praises how its dense conversations give voice to stories the regime tried to suppress. [Read](https://observer.co.uk/culture/film/article/it-was-just-an-accident-is-a-furious-attack-on-the-iranian-regime)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Tim Grierson (70/100, inferred): The review finds the film a compelling, carefully composed meditation on revenge and the possibility of moving on from oppression. It praises Panahi’s long takes and genre-fluid storytelling, while noting that the central mystery somewhat constrains the moral drama. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2025-10-16/it-was-just-an-accident-review-jafar-panahi-iran-palme-d-or-cannes)
- **Screen Daily**, Wendy Ide (65/100, inferred): The headline frames the film as a direct confrontation with Iran’s injustice system. The standfirst singles out a traffic accident as the catalyst for devastating events. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/it-was-just-an-accident-review-jafar-panahi-confronts-the-iranian-injustice-system-head-on/5205314.article)
- **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The page could not be accessed, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No specific praise or complaint is available to report. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/15/movies/it-was-just-an-accident-review.html)
- **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (9/10): Bonaime calls the film a tremendous work that could be Panahi’s masterpiece. He especially praises how Panahi balances absurd humor with deep pain and trauma. [Read](https://collider.com/it-was-just-an-accident-review-jafar-panahi/)
- **The Wrap** (90/100, inferred): The critic gives Panahi’s film a strongly positive verdict, calling it tougher and more confrontational than many of his earlier works. They praise its sharp blend of anger, humor, and humanism, especially in a climactic confrontation that lingers. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/it-was-just-an-accident-review-jafar-panahi/)
- **Paste**, Rory Doherty (8.6/10): Doherty finds the film suspenseful, humane, and consistently engaging, despite its occasional tendency toward theatricality. He praises Panahi’s precise dialogue and the way everyday interruptions complicate the characters’ debate over revenge. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/it-was-just-an-accident/it-was-just-an-accident-review-jafar-panahi-iran-green-movement-prison-guard)
- **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (80/100, inferred): Hammond finds the film a powerful, humane warning about unjust imprisonment and revenge. He singles out Panahi’s skillful shifts between absurd comedy and serious confrontation. [Read](https://deadline.com/2025/05/it-was-just-an-accident-review-iranian-director-jafar-panahi-first-film-since-prison-time-cannes-film-festival-1236405501/)
- **Eye for Film**, Marko Stojiljkovic (80/100, inferred): The critic finds the film accessible and engaging, with its ethical drama, satire and dark humour carrying its message. They praise the long, static takes, noting that every camera move and cut serves the story. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/it-was-just-an-accident-2025-film-review-by-marko-stojiljkovic)
- **The Skinny**, Ben Nicholson (★★★★): Nicholson praises Panahi’s politically charged, ethically complex revenge drama. He singles out its probing exploration of how survivors can pursue justice without surrendering their humanity. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/it-was-just-an-accident)
- **The Playlist** (75/100, inferred): The headline presents the film as a layered revenge tale and signals a favorable verdict. It singles out the story’s layered approach to revenge for praise. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/it-was-just-an-accident-review-jafar-panahi-crafts-a-sublimely-layered-revenge-tale-cannes-20250521/)

## Details

- **Director:** Jafar Panahi
- **Director:** Jafar Panahi
- **Screenplay:** Jafar Panahi
- **Cinematography:** Amin Jafari
- **Editor:** Amir Etminan
- **Production design:** Leila Naghdi Pari
- **Producer:** Jafar Panahi, Philippe Martin
- **Cast:** Vahid Mobasseri as Vahid; Mariam Afshari as Shiva; Ebrahim Azizi as Eghbal; Hadis Pakbaten as Golrokh; Majid Panahi as Ali; Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr as Hamid; George Hashemzadeh as Salar; Delmaz Najafi as Eghbal's Daughter
- **Runtime:** 1h 43m
- **First release (France):** 20 May 2025
- **Genres:** Drama, Thriller, Crime, Mystery
- **Also in:** [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Nominee, 2025); [Palme d'Or winners](https://film.one/collections/palme-dor.md) (Winner, 2025)
- **Budget:** $6 million
- **Box office:** $10 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oHw2ubyWE4

## Where to watch in Bulgaria

Not streaming, renting or buying in Bulgaria at the last check.

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CL, CO, DE, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IN, IT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2026: Best International Feature Film (nominated)
- Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Feature Film 2025: Asia Pacific Screen Award for Best Feature Film (won)
- BIFA for Best Foreign Independent Film 2025: BIFA for Best Foreign Independent Film (nominated)
- Cannes Film Festival 2025: Palme d'Or (won)
- Sydney Film Prize 2025: Sydney Film Prize (won)

## If you liked this

- *Death and the Maiden* (1994): A woman ties up the man she thinks tortured her; the argument lasts all night.
- *Taxi Tehran* (2015): Panahi under his ban, driving a cab, letting the city talk to the camera.
- *The Act of Killing* (2012), Fi1m 88: Indonesian death-squad veterans re-enact their crimes; the smiling is the horror. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-act-of-killing.md)
- *Blood Simple* (1984): The Coens’ first, in which one bad decision needs a shovel and then another.
- *A Separation* (2011), Fi1m 93: Farhadi’s Tehran divorce, where every lie is reasonable and every truth costs someone. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-separation.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/it-was-just-an-accident