The news headlines right now are terrifying.
This is mainly because certain news outlets dramatize and exaggerate what’s actually happening in order to fearmonger, but the real events in the past few weeks have been particularly upsetting. If you’re not aware, the authoritarian dictatorship in Iran has been progressing—and not positively.
So, Iranian director Jafar Panahi decided to create a movie, It Was Just An Accident, exposing what is actually happening in the political prisons of Iran.
Following Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), a mechanic and ex-prisoner, It Was Just An Accident is an anti-authoritarian film focusing on a group of ex-prisoners’ decision when they find their former tormentor from prison, who is played by Ebrahim Azizi. Because they were blindfolded when they were held captive, none of them are completely sure if the man is their torturer. In fact, this is the very dilemma that brings them together; when Vahid believes he found his imprisoner, he’s not sure if it’s actually him and can’t bring himself to kill him. The only thing they have to go off of is the squeaking sound of the man’s artificial leg, which earned him the nickname Eghbal (meaning “Peg Leg”).
While it is categorized as a thriller, I wouldn’t call it that; the aspects of the movie that could possibly be considered as “thrilling” were few and far between, and were more emotionally triggering if anything. While the concept is generally disturbing, the film doesn’t show any blood or gore, only discussing the treatment that the prisoners experienced a few times.
What I loved most about this movie is that Panahi balances both character development and plot to move the story along. While the storyline itself was enough to keep me entertained, the philosophical debate that is continuously brought up throughout the film made it that much more interesting. Instead of handing the story to the audience on a silver platter, it makes them think about and question the decisions of the characters. Questions like “What is justice?”, “Who determines what people deserve or not?” and “When does revenge go too far?” are constant conversations, not only among the Iranian government and its victims, but among the victims themselves. Hamid (Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr), one of the ex-prisoners Vahid recruits, firmly believes that the man is Eghbal and that he deserves to die. While he and, occasionally, Goli (Hadis Pakbaten) let their emotions get the best of them, the rest of the crew wants to be absolutely positive the man is actually Eghbal before they harm him. However, after hearing what horrific things Eghbal did to Hamid and Goli, it’s hard not to see why they would want him dead.
This brings me to another technique that elevated this movie: the dialogue. There are very few moments without it, so when the words fade, leaving only the chirping of birds or the sounds of a busy street, it forces the audience to instead analyze the characters’ body language and facial expressions. This highlights the talents of all the actors and actresses, specifically Mariam Afshari, who plays Shiva; when she interrogates the alleged Eghbal, all of the pent-up emotions come out from the trauma she experienced in prison.
It Was Just An Accident definitely opened my eyes to what a culture ruled by an authoritarian government looks like and how its citizens are truly affected. Throughout the story, I was captivated by the intense emotions and complex personal conflicts the characters experience. To anyone who likes foreign films and stories that make you think, I would absolutely recommend It Was Just An Accident.
