It Was Just an Accident

It all starts with title accident. When their car breaks down, a couple and their little daughter are forced to stop at a nearby car garage. Two car mechanics work there: one of them offers to help them out, but the other one, Vahid, chooses to keep his distance and observe. Vahid is a former political prisoner burdened by trauma and physical affliction caused by tortures endured during interrogations. He recognises the man from the car as an officer of the Iranian police and his former tormentor, who goes by the name ‘Peg Leg.’ Convinced that it is his chance to take revenge, Vahid comes up with a desperate plan to kidnap the man. As time goes by, Vahid starts to doubt his actions. Is the kidnapped man really who he thinks him to be? Will the revenge put him at ease? Film director Jafar Panahi serves a moral dilemma packed in a lot of tension, creating a powerful story about memory, violence, and the limits of justice. The film won the Palme d’Or Award in Cannes, and serves as an example of socially conscious cinema typical of Jafar Panahi, commenting on the social and political reality with immense precision.