It Was Just an Accident

Saturday night, I watched It Was Just an Accident as a rental on AppleTV. I am working on filling out my Oscar's dance card. The film is nominated for Best International Feature Film (France) and Best Original Screenplay.

The movie is a thriller written and directed by Jafar Panahi. The film is a co-production between Iran, France, and Luxembourg.

Panahi has been critical of the Iranian government and imprisoned several times. Panahi filmed It Was Just an Accident in secret without a filming permit from the Islamic Republic. The actresses in the film do not always wear the hijab, which is compulsory for women under the law in Iran.

The film begins when a car mechanic, Vahid, recognizes the distinct squeak of a customer's prosthetic leg as belonging to the man who tortured him in prison. It follows a group of former Iranian political prisoners who face the question of whether to exact revenge on a man they believe may be their tormentor.

With Sharon planning to be gone for the weekend, I intended to watch this movie on Saturday night. It is a coincidence that I watched the film on the day that the United States and Israel attacked Iran. While I feel like the United States actions are going to lead to another quagmire like Iraq and Afghanistan, the movie gave me pause. It highlights the brutality of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's regime to ordinary people.

Footnote. Sharon and I saw Jafar Panahi interviewed by Jon Stewart on tonight's Daily Show.