Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident is a complex mix of political, emotional, humorous, and thrilling. Along with being a prominent name in contemporary Iranian cinema, Panahi is extremely vocal about his disapproval of the Islamic regime. Because of his political stance and his loud participation in protests against the regime, Panahi has been imprisoned several times. In his recent release, Panahi reestablishes that any attempt to curb his voice will only result in louder dissent. After the release of this film, he was sentenced to one year in prison and a two-year travel ban. The film was partly shot in Iran without any official filming permission and defied the mandatory hijab regulation.
Spoiler Alert
What is the film about?
The film begins with a husband and wife in a car with their daughter in the backseat. The little girl complained about her father never allowing her to play loud music even when they were driving down a deserted road. The father was apparently afraid of disturbing his neighbors, but was there a reason behind his fear? We’ll eventually find out. When his pregnant wife insisted he increase the volume, he obliged. Soon, he mistakenly ran over a dog, and his daughter blamed him for killing the innocent creature. Her mother tried explaining how it must have been the dog’s fate to die that night, but the little girl refused to believe it; she emphasized that it was her father’s actions that had killed the dog. Soon, their car broke down, and the father asked a man at a local shop for assistance. To get the toolbox, the man stepped into the shop, and Vahid, who worked there and was speaking to his mother over the phone, heard him approaching. He panicked, and he chose to hide behind a wall. He later followed the family to their home. Clearly, there was a past connection between Vahid and the man. The next morning Vahid followed him to a repair shop, cornered him on the road, and hit him on the head with a shovel. The next thing we know, Vahid had dug a grave, and he intended on burying the man alive.
The man begged Vahid to let him go, emphasizing that he must have mistaken him for someone else. Vahid checked his ID and was surprised to find out that he’d changed his name to Rashid Shahsavari. We soon discover that Vahid suspected that the man was Eghbal, the ruthless intelligence agent who’d tortured him physically and mentally for months, had permanently damaged his posture, and left him with lifelong trauma. Vahid was one of the workers at a factory who’d protested to put pressure on the authorities after they were denied wages for eight months. As a result, he was arrested and assaulted. His fiancee had killed herself after he was locked up, and he blamed Eghbal and the regime for taking away everything that mattered to him. Vahid was almost sure that the man he was about to bury was Eghbal; he’d recognized the squeaky sound of his footsteps (due to his prosthetic leg) the previous night, and it had left him terrified. Vahid always had a blindfold on when he was tortured, so he hadn’t seen Eghbal’s face, but he was almost confident that he had the right person. The man stated that he’d only recently lost his leg in a car accident and his injuries were still fresh, and he begged Vahid to check. Vahid was left confused; the man wasn’t lying, but then again, he was sure that he couldn’t have mistaken the sound of Eghbal’s footsteps. To get to the truth, Valid embarks on a journey and connects with several other dissenters who had also been tortured by Eghbal. So, was the man Eghbal? And if he was the tormentor, then how will Valid and the other victims seek revenge on him?
Did Vahid Capture The Real Eghbal?
To confirm the man’s identity, Vahid first met Salar at a bookshop. Salar had supported Vahid through the worst times of his life, so naturally he was someone Vahid trusted with all his heart. Salar was shocked when Vahid revealed what he was up to, and he refused to see the tormentor’s face. He believed that there was no way Vahid would get away after killing a man, and he didn’t wish to get involved in the mess. But then again, Salar knew the emotional and physical turmoil Vahid had gone through, and although the situation was reckless, he ultimately chose to support his friend. He wrote down a phone number, and we soon learned that the number belonged to Shiva. She too was a victim of Eghbal, and it was only recently that she was finally living a somewhat ‘normal life.’ She was a photographer who had conducted investigations against the regime, and as a result, had been targeted. Shiva was busy that morning; she was taking pre-wedding pictures of her friend Goli and her fiancé, Ali. So, when Vahid showed up at the shooting location, she made it very clear that she didn’t have much time for whatever he had to say. But when Vahid mentioned Eghbal ‘Peg Leg,’ she was completely shook. She refused to help him at first, but she eventually agreed to see the face of the monster. But just like Vahid, Shiva wasn’t sure, because she hadn’t ever seen his face. Eventually, Goli and Ali too found out what Shiva and Vahid were up to.
Goli was one of Eghbal’s victims, and when she heard his name, her fury knew no bounds. She hopped into Vahid’s van to go get a look at her abuser. But even Goli couldn’t confirm his identity. It’s gradually revealed in the film that Eghbal had threatened to rape Goli, and she refused to rest until she knew for sure that he would be punished. Ali didn’t know the extent of the abuse that Goli had endured, at least not the finer details, and in a way, Vahid showing up helped the couple be more transparent with each other. Shiva was certain that the man’s body odor was exactly like Eghbal’s, and to be completely sure, she contacted Hamid. He was a short-tempered man who wanted to take action immediately. Although Hamid hadn’t seen his face either, he was forced to feel Eghbal’s wounded legs when he was imprisoned, so the minute he ran his fingers over the man’s scars, he immediately responded that it was Eghbal. He thought it was impossible that two men had wounds at the same spots, so it was quite evident to him that the man Vahid had captured was indeed ‘Peg Leg’/‘The Gimp.’ But for Vahid, Shiva, Goli, and Ali, his conviction alone wasn’t enough reason to take a drastic step.
Hamid called them out for trying to be morally righteous when the person they were dealing with was pure evil. He didn’t think that the man would ever admit that he was Eghbal, which meant that they would never be completely sure about his identity. He was determined to kill the man, and he even attempted to escape with the van, but thankfully Shiva managed to block his path. The dissenters waited for the monster to regain consciousness, but Hamid continued to explain why killing him was the only choice they had left. He believed that if he really was Eghbal, then he would track Vahid down and kill him, and before executing him, he would force him to confess the names of the others involved. Hamid offered to get his hands dirty, while the rest got to live with their clean consciences, being “non-violent goody two-shoes.”
Shiva established that the problem wasn’t the individual alone but the system. They could get rid of him, but that wouldn’t magically make the system and the political situation in their country any better. Hamid retorted, stating that the system was made of individuals like Eghbal. He didn’t believe there was any room for neutrality when they were in a state of war. The situation changed when Vahid received a call on the man’s phone. His daughter was crying on the phone, saying that her mother had slipped and fallen and was lying unconscious. Vahid and Shiva decided to rescue the mother while the rest waited in the van. The mother was admitted to a hospital, and she gave birth to a son. This scene emphasizes that political differences shouldn’t be the root of inhumanity. Considering the damage that the man had caused, they could have chosen to destroy him and let his wife and unborn child die, but then that would blur the line between humans and tyrants and their barbaric foot soldiers.
Was Eghbal regretful of his past actions?
Hamid left due to his differences with Shiva, and also because he thought that the rest were a bunch of losers who had no intention of seeking revenge on the man who’d destroyed them. Ali and Goli also left; admitting the truth and letting off steam helped Goli calm down, and she finally decided she better head home since she had her wedding the next day. Only Shiva and Vahid were left. Vahid insisted Shiva leave—he had nothing left to lose, and the man already knew his workplace, so there wasn’t really an easy escape for him, but he didn’t wish to entangle Shiva any further into the mess. Although he’d promised Shiva that he wouldn’t betray her under any circumstance, she chose to stay back. She had promised Salar that she wouldn’t abandon Vahid and she stuck by it.
It Was Just An Accident’s ending confirms that the man Vahid had held captive was indeed Eghbal. They drove the van to a remote spot and tied him to a tree. He played innocent at first, acting completely surprised by every allegation, and pretended to be a regular man who was simply a victim of misunderstanding. Eghbal had figured out that the problem with Vahid was that he had a conscience, and he simply couldn’t ignore his moral beliefs to satisfy his thirst for revenge. Therefore, as long as he made him believe that it was all a big misunderstanding, he wouldn’t dare hurt him. If he really had the conviction to murder, then he would have done so a long while back.
It was only after Vahid stated that his wife had given birth to their son and was safe in the hospital that he finally admitted the truth. He believed that Vahid wasn’t a killer, and by admitting his wife to a hospital, he’d proved that he was incapable of committing such a heinous crime. So, he confidently admitted that he was Eghbal, the monster who’d tortured Vahid. He didn’t think the truth would drastically change Vahid; moreover, he didn’t mind dying a martyr. He proudly stated that nothing was more important to him than the regime and the Supreme Guide. He’d already sacrificed his leg in the Syrian war, and it was a medal of honor for him. He refused to let ‘deadbeats’ like Vahid endanger the regime; he strongly believed men like him were their true enemy. Vahid accused Eghbal of making statements just like ISIS, who also defend their wrongdoings by convincing themselves that their victims deserved it, and if they were wrongfully murdered or assaulted, then justice will be done in heaven.
Shiva was instructed by Vahid to remain quiet, because he didn’t want her to get involved at all. But the pride in Eghbal’s voice during his confession made it impossible for her to hold herself back. She attacked Eghbal with a shovel and refused to let him utter another word. All she wanted was for him to be repentant and admit that he was a monster. She reminded him that people like her weren’t the reason why the economy was collapsing; if he truly cared so deeply about the welfare of the nation, then he must look beyond the hateful, oppressive lessons taught by the regime.
After being repeatedly reminded how his pride was rooted in the pain and suffering of others, Eghbal finally mumbled that he was sorry. With every reminder, his voice got louder and clearer. Eghbal broke down as he screamed, ‘I’m sorry.’ Somewhere deep down, he’d always known that his actions were vile and inhumane, yet he’d convinced himself that he was doing God’s work and that the oppressed deserved it. Similar to the story of fate that his wife told their daughter when he ran his car over a dog. The tendency to wash one’s hands clean by calling it fate is evidently a coping mechanism. He’d ruthlessly tortured individuals, almost killed them, and was the reason why most failed to live a normal life even after they were released. Yet when those same people got hold of him, all they really wanted was for him to apologize, to admit that he had made a mistake. They could’ve killed him; it would have been way less risky compared to letting go of an intelligence agent who could recognize them by voice. But Vahid and Shiva had realized that killing him wouldn’t really fix them; rather, hearing him apologise would at least help them heal. Eghbal confessed that he was ‘just like them,’ but he chose to work for the regime to make a living. The lies he’d told himself to justify his crimes finally fell through, and he had to face the consequence of his actions. Vahid left a penknife for Eghbal to free himself with before he and Shiva drove away.
What does the final scene suggest?
The next morning, when Vahid and his mother got the wedding trousseau for his sister ready in the van, a white car stopped by their house. Vahid didn’t notice the car; he was walking back into the house when he suddenly heard the same squeaky footstep. He froze completely and didn’t look back. The footsteps approached him, but after a brief pause, the sound receded. The final scene suggests that Eghbal had tracked down Vahid, but he chose to look past the incident. It was his way of letting Vahid know that if he really wanted to, he could’ve destroyed Vahid and his co-conspirators, but his decision to walk away was his way of passing on the message that he regretted his past actions, and he was trying to do better. One can also assume that maybe the sound was in Vahid’s head, suggesting that he would forever carry the trauma, but the approaching white car clears the air in this case. The film highlights that redemption is not entirely unattainable and that individuals are not inherently monsters; rather, their upbringing, circumstances, social influences, and economic conditions can shape them into one. But at the end of the day, the final call is always on the individual to decide which side of history they want to be a part of.
