Here’s a great example of a perfectly imperfect film imbued with cleverness, uniqueness, charm and poignancy delivered in an unexpected way. This the latest from renowned and brave Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi who in 2010 was banned from making movies by the government. As a result and even before the ban, he has taken personal and political risk in forging ahead creating art and telling relevant stories. “It Was Just an Accident” is no exception to he and his cast and crew’s artistic stance and putting out this relevant story of moral dilemma and revenge.
Randomly in the middle of one fateful night, mechanic, Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri) believes he has reencountered his torturer, Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi), from years ago while he was under government detainment. Until he can get confirmation of the alleged torturer’s identity, Vahid decides to kidnap and gag Eghbal, stuffing him into a box in the back of his van. He then seeks out and is referred to a few individuals who too had been in the same prison and may be able to successfully tell him whether this is the monster from their past and whose actions continue to haunt their dreams. It is in the enlisting of their help, with Eghbal in tow, that weird and wacky series of events are unleashed. Throughout this dark comedy thriller, all involved, including a bride and groom and their photographer, feel an unquenchable thirst for answers and for revenge. Along the way, they are challenged with moral complexities of revenge-murder and the risks involved for themselves if they let their captive go.
The five spontaneous kidnappers-turned fast friends make up a uniquely wonderful ensemble cast, portraying a believable balance of shared anger, trauma and confusion, with the right measure of humor as they tackle the moral dilemma of their lives. Two of the five- Vahid and the wedding photographer- are unsure about their captive’s identity, which leaves a nagging question as to whether they should move forward with the plans to execute him. Conversely, two others of the group are confident in the man’s identity and are determined to exact revenge. Where there is no confusion among the group is the fact that they had suffered greatly at the hands of the government/military, and the sting of it lingers. The real questions are will they all get clarity as to whether who they have is Eghbal, and either way will revenge bring peace?
There are times through the film, where the pacing is uneven and a couple scenes are repetitive and over-written, but never to the point of losing the audience or detracting from its overall creative brilliance. Throughout, Panama deftly balances an intriguing sense of danger, with unexpected and welcome humor, and the cherry on top is the uproarious cast of characters in the hands of a bodacious ensemble of actors. While all Panahi’s over 20 previous films, including “The White Balloon,” “This is Not a Film” and “No Bears,” have earned critical acclaim and were deftly executed under unusual circumstances of government restrictions or outright bans, “Accident” may prove to be his most sophisticated and best.
