It Was Just an Accident

It Was Just an Accident follows a seemingly ordinary night that spirals into a profound moral reckoning. After a minor roadside incident leaves a family stranded, a chance encounter connects them with a man whose past is marked by political imprisonment and trauma. A small detail—barely noticeable to most—triggers memories that refuse to stay buried, raising unsettling questions about identity, coincidence, and accountability.
As former prisoners’ cross paths and suspicions grow, the film unfolds as a tense, often darkly humorous exploration of justice and memory. Director Jafar Panahi uses intimate conversations and restrained suspense to examine how people live with unresolved wounds from oppression, and whether truth, forgiveness, or revenge can ever bring closure. What begins as “just an accident” becomes a powerful meditation on moral choice in the shadow of political violence.

Critical feedback
– 98 % on Rotten Tomatoes
– Most articles focus on the political respect for the directors courage in making this film. He has been banned from making films in his country of Iran has been imprisoned twice
– The film won the top prize at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival
– It Was Just an Accident is gaining attention for an academy awards Oscar as a contender in the 2026 Best International Feature category

Watch the trailer.

Get Your Tickets

Tickets available at the door: $12.
Film Club Passes available at the Box Office or at the Perth library: $50 (for five films)