Panahi’s subversive ‘Just an Accident’ is van-tastic
Like Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident” deftly employs absurdist comedy to make deathly serious observations about the spirit-crushing effects of fascism. It’s a method akin to that of Charlie Chaplin and Thomas Nast, satirists who believed mockery to be infinitely more lethal than bombs and bullets, especially when the work is as defiantly lacerating as what Anderson and Panahi have concocted.
The fact that both films are odds-on favorites to do battle for Best Picture at the upcoming Academy Awards attests to the impact they have in awakening complacent audiences to the dire times in which we live. Their stories are set on opposite sides of the world, but they are universal in depicting how tyrannical rule thrives in an environment of fear and hopelessness. It also instills an ever-intensifying itch for vengeance, rendering the subjugated no better than his oppressors.
That, in a nutshell, describes the seemingly quiet and unassuming Vahid, the auto mechanic at the fore of Panahi’s “Accident.” Brought vividly to life by Vahid Mobasseri, Vahid embarks on a surreal odyssey after a very distinctive squeaking noise triggers a suppressed memory. It emanates from the artificial leg of a customer whose car was just involved in an accident that took the life of a stray dog. Vahid immediately recognizes it as the sound cast by the prosthesis worn by the intelligence officer who made his life, and those of his fellow Iranian political prisoners, a living hell. And Vahid has a damaged kidney as a lasting remnant from all the beatings.
In seconds, all decorum is abandoned as Vahid becomes consumed by an out-of-control rage that drives him to kidnap the man we come to know as Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi). With the tables turned, he spirits his prisoner off to the desert, intending to bury Eghbal alive. But in the midst of Eghbal insisting he is not who Vahid thinks he is, doubt suddenly arises. Might Eghbal be telling the truth? Vahid, who was blindfolded during his captivity, isn’t certain. So, he dusts off Eghbal and loads him – unconscious – back inside his van, returning to Tehran to seek the judgment of Shiva (Mariam Afshari), another ex-inmate whom he finds photographing a couple, Ali (Majid Panahi) and Goli (Hadis Pakbaten), in full wedding regalia.
Shiva thinks Vahid has the right guy, but isn’t 100 percent sure, either. Neither is Goli, who was also interned with Vahid and Shiva. This leads them to round up Hamid (Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr), yet another ex-inmate. He’s so convinced they have the right dude that he’s prepared to kill Eghbal on the spot. The others aren’t as confident, leading to a tumultuous day and night of traveling in and out of Tehran, carrying Eghbal and his fate in their indecisive hands. Stops will include a pharmacy, maternity ward, a filling station and a side trip for pastries.
It’s profound, yet darkly funny, as consciences clash with bloodlust. It’s a situation to which Jafar Panahi can relate, having spent years under house arrest for making films like “Taxi” and “This Is Not a Film” critical of Iran’s theocratic rule. If the Ayatollahs were enraged before, they’re really going to be inflamed now. Panahi rightfully paints his nation’s leaders as pathological liars and thieves who strive to use and dehumanize their lowly subjects.
In keeping with that portrait, Panahi includes a running joke involving the necessity to bribe multiple people to facilitate Vahid’s less-than-foolproof scheme to administer vigilante justice. Vahid begins to wonder if it’s all worth it, particularly when Eghbal’s pregnant wife (Afssaneh Najmabadi) and young daughter (Delnaz Najafi) wind up inside his now overcrowded van.
If you know Panahi’s history, it’s easy to assume the emotions originate from a place deep within. And through Vahid, he intriguingly ponders whether settling scores makes him just as immoral as his government. Yet, he’s equally aware that he can’t just sit back and do nothing. That’s where his use of humor and caricature proves to be a most effective means of revenge.
For emphasis, Panahi surrounds himself with an ensemble every bit as compelling as his plea for non-violence. Mobasseri leads the way as the charismatic ringleader of this gang of angry incompetents. But Elyashmehr possesses the showiest part as the loud and assertive Hamid, completely oblivious to the hypocrisy inherent in his drive to be Eghbal’s judge and executioner.
Panahi doesn’t offer a definitive answer to who and what is most just, but that doesn’t make his film any less devastating. It packs a punch, as evidenced by its taking home the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in May. Like I said, the pain and heartbreak are not exclusive to Iran. It’s happening the world over, including in our own backyard, which makes Panahi’s suspenseful lark an “Accident” you’ll want to be involved in.
Movie review
It Was Just an Accident
Rated: PG-13 for violence, smoking, thematic elements and strong language
Cast: Vahid Mobasseri, Ebrahim Azizi, Mariam Afshari, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi and Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Director: Jafar Panahi
Writer: Jafar Panahi
Runtime: 102 minutes
Where: In theaters Oct. 15 (New York only), expanding Oct. 24 and Oct. 31
Grade: A-
