It Was Just An Accident

Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes, It Was Just an Accident confronts truth and uncertainty, revenge and mercy head-on.

When mechanic Vahid unexpectedly encounters the man who may have been his torturer in prison, he kidnaps him with the intention to exact vengeance. But since the sole clue to Eghbal’s identity is the distinct squeak of his prosthetic leg, Vahid turns to a loose circle of other now-freed victims for confirmation. And the danger only escalates. 

As they deal with their past and diverging worldviews, the group struggles to decide: Is this him, without a doubt? What would retribution mean, in actuality? 

Fiercly political yet deeply humane, It Was Just an Accident coalesces into a climactic act of resistance by director Jafar Panahi, who is no stranger to unjust detainment himself.