It Was Just an Accident

Vahid, an unassuming mechanic, is suddenly reminded of his time in an Iranian prison when a random traffic accident leads to a chance encounter with a man he thinks he recognizes—one he suspects was once his sadistic jailhouse captor. 

Panicked and horrified yet not absolutely certain of the man’s identity, Vahid pauses taking revenge long enough to round up some fellow ex-prisoners to try to confirm his suspicions. 

Jafar Panahi has created a masterwork in the form of an honest and deeply felt thriller, where tension combines with humor and raises difficult questions about the morality of revenge.

In Persian with English subtitles.

"Panahi summons all the medium’s expressive powers to deliver a fierce denunciation of authoritarian regimes." – Justin Chang, The New Yorker