It Was Just an Accident | Film Review

 

When Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri) runs into the man who he believes to be his former torturer, he decides to get revenge. But when the man (Ebrahim Azizi) vehemently denies involvement in the torture, Vahid's confidence begins to falter.

This was one of the Oscar-nominated movies that I was most intrigued about, and I ended up watching it before a lot of the Best Picture nominees because I thought that I'd probably like it more.

And I was right, I liked this film more than a good few of the Best Picture nominees, and I would have loved to see it nominated in that category.

It starts from a really great place. We're following a family, we don't know their place in the story, we don't know who they are, but we're put into their point of view. So when the story takes a turn, the viewer is left in an odd position where we don't really know where to place ourselves. And for me, this just made me feel a connection to the story that I probably wouldn't have otherwise.

The premise is such an interesting one. There have been movies that depict torture, but none I can think of that look at it from the other side in this way.

The story is really engaging and easy to become interested in. From really early on, you're completely locked in.

The film is extremely dialogue-heavy, which might be off-putting to some, but because the writing is so good, it works. It's not surprising at all that this was nominated for a screenplay Oscar, and I'd love it to win.

The actors are amazing and make the characters feel really authentic. Not to keep bringing Oscars into it, but it would have been great to see an acting nom or two here. I would have liked to get to know the characters more.

It could have done with being a bit shorter overall, as it becomes less engaging the more you watch. But the excitement ramps back up as we get to the climax, so you're never bored.

And then there's the ending. There's not enough I can write to get across how fantastic the ending scene of this film is. It really cemented how good the film is.

Overall I don't think this film will be for everyone, as all-in-all not much happens, but it was definitely for me and I'm glad the general consensus is the same as mine.

7.5/10