It Was Just an Accident

Iranian director Jafar Panahi has won all the major film festival awards, but despite this, the Iranian authorities have been trying to prevent him from filming for decades. It was therefore a big surprise when Panahi appeared in Cannes in May this year for the world premiere of his new film It Was Just an Accident, a thrilling story about the moral implications of guilt and retribution. The film was highly acclaimed, and it was no surprise that it won the Golden Palm again.

A man and his family are driving by car in the evening when they hit a stray dog. The animal is dead and the car is damaged. The man takes the car to Vahid's garage. Vahid is horrified, because from the way the man walks, he has an artificial leg, he thinks he recognises Eghbal, a hideous man who severely tortured him when he was in prison. Vahid wants to kill him, but the man vehemently denies being the torturer. Vahid contacts former fellow prisoners to ultimately decide together what should happen to the alleged Eghbal. This proves to be far from easy.