REVIEW: ‘Just an Accident’ has strong moments, but isn’t great as a whole

The lingering trauma of political and government oppression can last long after the acts of violence and imprisonment take place.

That’s what’s shown in “It Was Just an Accident”. The movie mainly centers on Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), a mechanic who one night recognizes the voice of a man stopping by the garage he works in. Vahid, who believes that man was once a guard at an Iranian prison who regularly engaged in torture and mistreatment, kidnaps the individual.

Driven by anger, Vahid is looking to exact justice on the man who notably has a prosthetic leg. However, he’s still unsure if it’s the right person, and wants to confirm the identity. To do so, he brings in others who were wrongfully held in the prison and mistreated to see if they can ID the man.

Both in terms of premise and execution, there are clear strengths in “It Was Just an Accident.” The film boasts some powerful scenes with raw emotion and intense conversations, especially as the picture gets closer to its conclusion. However, these scenes aren’t held together by a stronger flick as a whole.

That’s true for a few reasons. First, the movie, even at an hour and 45 minutes, starts to feel overly stretched beyond its capacity. The concept sometimes has a feel of what should have been a short film, under 50 minutes, but it was pulled beyond that to be a full feature, which creates some lulls and repetitiveness.

Another issue is the film’s tone. There are times, because of the chaotic, borderline absurd situation, that the film appears to be attempting a dark comedic vibe. Yet none of the characters really have big enough personalities to make that type of humor work.

That leads to an additional matter, in that the majority of the cast are all amateur performers or non-actors. It should be stated that this does not sink the film, but it is certainly is noticeable in a few key scenes where the acting is a bit rough around the edges.

That’s not to detract the effort of the actors, as there are some moments where they strike the right level of emotion, captivating a viewer. It’s just there are also scenes where the performances can keep an audience from fully engaging with the sequence.

Director and writer Jafar Panahi, who himself was arrested by the Iranian regime for his criticisms, deserves praise for what he was able to get from the cast and the layers of suspense he was able to incorporate to some key scenes, especially in the third act. This is especially true with the incredibly poignant ending.

The film is quite well-made technically, too. With cinematography by Amin Jafari and editing by Amir Etminan, the movie captures moments of claustrophobia, stress, anger and desperation by way of its visual language. This is another area where the final several scenes stand-out during a final confrontation.

“It Was Just an Accident” offers several great sequences harnessing trauma and effects of political violence, and does so cinematically. However, it also feels drawn out, the acting doesn’t always match the moment and the tone is a bit inconsistent. 2.75 out of 5.