In 2010, police arrested the celebrated Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi on fabricated charges of ‘anti-government propaganda.’ After a brief imprisonment at the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, he staged a hunger strike to protest his detention, which drew global outrage. He was released and placed on house arrest with a 20-year ban on filmmaking and leaving the country. In 2022, Panahi was arrested again, prompting yet another hunger strike and his subsequent release. Nevertheless, these arrests and bans haven’t stopped the filmmaker from doing what he loves most: Making movies. 

Despite constraints, Panahi managed to smuggle his 2011 film This Is Not a Film into the Cannes Film Festival—hiding it famously on a USB drive inside a cake. In the years that followed, he secretly made four more acclaimed works while still officially banned: Closed Curtain in 2013, Taxi Tehran in 2015, 3 Faces in 2018, and No Bears in 2022.

Now, after years of secrecy and silence, Panahi has returned with his boldest statement yet: It Was Just an Accident, which was released this October.

The film begins with a routine late-night drive that sets off a thrilling chain of events. When a man strikes a dog with his car and seeks help near a remote mechanic’s garage, the mechanic—Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), a former political prisoner—recognizes the sound of the man’s fake leg. Convinced that the stranger is Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi), an interrogator who once tortured him, Vahid kidnaps the man and drags him into the desert, intent on enacting his revenge. But as the day stretches on and doubt creeps in, Vahid begins to question whether he’s punishing the right man or merely repeating the cruelty that once broke him.

As the film progresses, more eccentric characters enter the story, each complicating Vahid’s quest for certainty. Through their interactions, the film creates a deeply human tale of trauma, vengeance, and forgiveness in the face of violence. What starts as a simple revenge story becomes a meditation on how trauma perpetuates and reinvents itself, and whether true accountability is possible in a society haunted by its own political wounds. 

Part suspense-laden thriller, part dark comedy, and part psychological drama, It Was Just an Accident tackles multiple genres while maintaining Panahi’s typical political critique. Its bold themes and moral depth evoke the influence of Panahi’s fellow Iranian filmmakers, Abbas Kiarostami and Asghar Farhadi, while remaining true to his own voice. The film not only reflects his trauma from his imprisonment in Iran but also illuminates the stories of his fellow inmates from Evin prison. One of the film’s most striking moments occurs near the end when Panahi, in a single take, captures Vahid’s confrontation with his alleged torturer. The scene pulses with both rage and restraint. The characters’ resilience and shared grief clearly echo the real-life experiences of those who endured personal loss under state oppression, grounding the film’s suspense in a human reality. 

Distributed by the French company mk2 Films, the movie premiered at Cannes 2025, where Panahi, now permitted to travel outside Iran, appeared in person for the first time in over a decade. The film won the Palme d’Or, Cannes’ most prestigious award. Critics have hailed the film as Panahi’s most daring work yet, not just for its political defiance but for its raw, emotional poignancy and unflinching sincerity. While some might attribute this acclaim to solidarity with his defiance under censorship, It Was Just an Accident warrants its full praise for its masterful storytelling and innovative cinematography alone.

Although Panahi remains under sporadic surveillance in Iran, his renewed visibility signals a small but significant victory for artistic freedom. He continues to use film to advocate for Iranian artists and filmmakers who are silenced by the government, wielding his platform and popularity to amplify their voices on a global stage.

It Was Just an Accident isn’t just another arthouse drama. It is a courageous act of resistance disguised as a film. Its universal insight into human nature transcends national and cultural boundaries, resonating with audiences everywhere. Watching this film means bearing witness to Panahi’s refusal to be silenced, and to the resilience of creative truth in the face of repression.