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It Was Just an Accident

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Theatre de Lieve Vrouw
Lieve Vrouwestraat 13
3811 BP Amersfoort
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Due to an accident, Eghbal's car gets badly damaged. He stops at a nearby garage where mechanic Vahid works. Vahid is a former...

Due to an accident, Eghbal's car gets badly damaged. He stops at a nearby garage where mechanic Vahid works. Vahid is a former political prisoner. He recognizes the squeaking sound of Eghbal's false leg as that of an intelligence officer who tortured him in prison and caused him permanent kidney damage. Seeking revenge, he follows Eghbal to his home, kidnaps him and prepares to bury him alive. However, Vahid begins to doubt the man's identity because he was blindfolded during the torture at the time and had never seen his torturer's face. For confirmation, he contacts fellow ex-prisoners: bookseller Salar, wedding photographer Shiva, bride Goli, groom Ali and laborer Hamid. They all want revenge on the man who brutally abused them. As the bickering group rides through Tehran with the prisoner in Vahid's van, they discuss the morality of killing their captive: do they demean themselves to the same methods as the executioner, and is he really who they think he is?

In It Was Just An Accident, everything revolves around guilt and retribution. Executioner Eghbal plays a supporting role. How those involved react - their feelings, doubts and conflicts - form the heart of the film. Panahi thus shows how hatred can tear apart human relationships, and demonstrates that the quest for justice can be as destructive as the original act itself. The victims share the same desire for justice - or rather, revenge. However, the line between justice and revenge is thin. Their mission soon crumbles, while doubts, mistrust and heated discussions split the group.

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