It Was Just An Accident - Movie Review

The Movie: It Was Just An Accident

The Director: Jafar Panahi

The Cast: Vahid Mobasseri, Maryam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi

The Story: A small mishap triggers a chain reaction of ever-growing problems.

The Rating: 8 / 10

The Review:

Every year there's a movie or two from outside the United States that grabs my attention and quickly becomes one of my favorite films for whatever year it happens to come out. I don't believe I have ever watched a movie directed by Jafar Pahani although, from what I have learned, he is a highly respected filmmaker that is always putting good stuff out there. I will say that it was definitely not an accident that this, his latest movie, is getting lots of attention and I'm glad I've had the opportunity to be able to watch it.

The first thing I noticed about this film is how Pahani seems to love using extended, uncut takes which is one of my favorite filmmaking techniques mainly because it gives the story and performances such a natural flow and an immersive quality that otherwise gets lost in over-editing. It always feels like such a privilege to watch actors have emotionally charged exchanges of dialog for several minutes without the camera ever cutting or switching perspectives and with the director allowing it all to play out over several different, and very important sequences throughout the film.

Speaking of the actors, the entire cast is pretty phenomenal and absolutely up to the task of delivering some pretty intense and emotionally charged moments throughout the story. Pahani fills the movie with a group of very distinct personalities that have all been drastically affected by a singular event that is also the driving force of the plot. This isn't a carefully cultivated roster of A-listers designed for box office success, this is a group of people brought in to specifically bring their character to life in a very natural and authentic way.

At first glance, each of the characters is just like anyone else out there in the world, living their lives and, as the story progresses, Pahani slowly reveals their connections and the shared history and trauma that have set this story into motion. The trauma stems from genuinely tragic and terrible circumstances and it really makes sense how and why everyone behaves the way that they do. more often than not making decisions that anyone else wouldn't even dare to entertain.

It's important to note that there aren't any sprawling action sequences in this movie although the story doesn't call for it and it still manages to be an intense thrill ride in its own unique way. It's more about the character interaction and you never really know what's going to happen next as they almost aimlessly and yet inevitably go deeper into this rabbit hole of what the heck is happening. That's where the story is just so smart and I'm learning is one of the things that makes Pahani such a highly respected filmmaker.

Thank you for reading my review of this movie.