TIFF50 Review: It Was Just An Accident (Written by Ben Scanga)

Jafar Panahi is something of a legend within the contemporary film scene. Over the past three decades, he’s been consistently releasing meditative works that comment on the evolving social and political landscape of modern-day Iran. Over the course of his work, he has developed a trademark cinematic language in regards to how he portrays his narratives and the motifs he simultaneously utilizes in the process; the scale of his narratives commonly finds itself on the smaller side of things, and typically revolves around how everyday citizens interact with the social environments that they find themselves within. It Was Just an Accident, Panahi’s eleventh feature film, which won the Palme D’or at Cannes earlier this year (furthering Panahi’s reputation, as this officially makes him the first filmmaker in the world to receive the top prize from every major film festival), compounds deeper into this visual language. The scale remains relatively small and tight, aligned with the camera’s tendency to tightly invade the personal space of its main protagonists. However, Panahi discovers a previously unexplored narrative vein within tones of dark comedy and mass crisis in front of a politically-charged backdrop. It’s possible to see the stepping stones towards this grand culmination in Panahi’s earlier work— like the intimate captured agony of Taxi or the small-scale tragedy of The White Balloon— but nothing compares to the finished product; Panahi’s script is one of his tightest yet, and the high-definition, intricate cinematography puts the viewer in a kaledioescope-trance. The images work in various fashions, but most importantly, they create an environment that is hard to shake.

Panahi’s narrative builds like a pressure cooker and always gives the audience something to remain fixated on, whether it be regarding the precise mise-en-scene or the surprisingly effective visual comedy (one scene in the first act involving characters jumping in and out of the back of a van sticks out like a sore thumb). It’s especially shocking to see these tactics playing out in a narrative that is able to remain entirely grounded throughout its runtime, as it’s easy to imagine most filmmakers allowing these moments to spoil the tone of the film as a whole. However, Panahi’s images thrive because he allows the takes to go on for long enough that you may slip out a chuckle or two in reaction to some of the awkward and innately human occurrences that are featured throughout the story. These moments spawn from the same tone that the film’s environment seems to be able to craft so effortlessly: tension; there’s nothing “ha-ha” funny about the situations the narrative’s protagonist face throughout the course of its length, but there are bountiful amounts of nervous laughter to be found within the intricacies of Panahi’s words and images. These moments eventually evolve into a grand climax; an explosive third-act that shows no regard for anyone in the audience with a pacemaker. The nuanced performances burst open and allow the audience to witness an unexplored level of debilitating trauma and emotional catharsis. Panahi puts a spin on the confornational narrative climax, as— to keep things spoiler-free— all of the action is occurring in front of one long, static take, causing the environment to naturally build dramatic tension on top of the already-tense atmosphere that’s been established. 

It’s not that Panahi’s previous films were “lacking”, per se. It’s more so that his camera commonly possesses a modest scope in the context of his usual narratives, and this unexplored vein that he finds himself within on Just an Accident is not only ambitious, but also begins to align itself with mainstream Western cinema. The colour palettes are endlessly rich and incredibly depthful; the sun beats down on these characters and the moon illuminates their journey within the same breath. When all of these independent variables combine, they assist in creating a motion picture that possesses unprecedented poignancy. In its most true and pure sense, it’s a narrative about the tendencies residing in human nature, and how the situations we face in this lifetime shape the people we become. This essence isn’t strictly captured within the events of the narrative or the characters that are developed throughout it, but it’s compounded with the most strength throughout these avenues. Panahi’s camera is active and curious, and when there are patient, static shots, it is intentional and deliberate. Every element of the film feels so in touch with all of its tiny moving parts. It functions as an important and quintessential reminder that Jafar Panahi is one of the best creative minds of our time, and one of the most endlessly effective filmmakers working at the moment. 

Thank you to Elevation Pictures and TARO PR for providing us access to this film. It Was Just An Accident opens in Canadian theaters on October 24th.