It Was Just an Accident

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It Was Just an Accident

PG-13

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1h 45m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

97%

Tomatometer

156 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

50+ Verified Ratings

What begins as a minor accident sets in motion a series of escalating consequences.

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Critics Consensus

Perhaps the most bluntly political film by Jafar Panahi yet, It Was Just an Accident is a defiant rebuke of authoritarianism that still delivers the entertainment value of a gripping thriller.

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Adam Graham

Detroit News

Panahi masterfully lays out his scenario and keeps audiences guessing.

Rated: B+

Nov 18, 2025

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Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

…one of the films of the year.

Rated: 4.5/5

Nov 14, 2025

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Chase Hutchinson

Seattle Times

Bursting with humanity and dark humor, it’s a sharply well-acted, written and directed modern thriller that grapples with urgently existential questions of justice, violence and resistance.

Nov 13, 2025

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Luke Y. Thompson

Mortal Cinema (Substack)

...when people tell you this is one of the best films of the year, believe them

Nov 26, 2025

Full Review

Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

A brilliant film that condenses years of sociopolitical criticism, internal exile, and buried rage into just 103 minutes of pure cinema, which Panahi masterfully frames to underline the state of resistance of the oppressed voices. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 8/10

Nov 26, 2025

Full Review

Lee Jutton

Film Inquiry

The importance of a film’s subject matter doesn’t automatically confer greatness upon it, and while I found much to admire about It Was Just an Accident, I was also left wanting more.

Nov 26, 2025

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Donald T

Great film. Brilliant.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/15/25

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Starla C

didn't enjoy the story at all...

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

11/14/25

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roya

An excellent movie full of meaning and connotations!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/11/25

Full Review

CA voter

Storyline twisted to reveal Iranian history - the ensemble actors all well cast

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/10/25

Full Review

John D

Movie was crazy well acted and paced. Long shots were long without seeming show-y or film school-y

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/02/25

Full Review

kamran

Nicely done, showing political realities, suffering of people intertwined with humanity.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/30/25

Full Review

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Jafar Panahi

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Vahid

Ebrahim Azizi

Eghbal

Mariam Afshari

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Hadis Pakbaten

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It Was Just an Accident: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

What begins as a minor accident sets in motion a series of escalating consequences.

Director: Jafar Panahi
Producer: Jafar Panahi
Screenwriter: Jafar Panahi
Distributor: NEON
Production Co: Les Films Pelléas
Rating: PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Strong Language|Smoking|Violence)
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: Persian
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 15, 2025, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.3M
Runtime: 1h 45m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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