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Otago Daily Times
09-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Just the ticket: 5 fixes for a fabulous festival
Whānau Mārama New Zealand International Film Festival is back with another almost overwhelming lineup. But worry not, Weekend Mix film reviewer Amasio Jutel has five ways to make the most of it, using the festival's popular five-film multipass. 1. GOOD VALUE: If you're concerned about a quality-assured return on investment, here are the best value films to play it safe on. IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT Director: Jafar Panahi Iran/France/Luxembourg Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for The Circle (2000), and later winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for Taxi (2015), Jafar Panahi completes a European film festival treble with Cannes' Palme d'Or winner It Was Just an Accident. This Iranian political thriller is the NZIFF's opening night film selection for a reason. Driving at night, an accident damages Eghbal's car, whose night goes from bad to worse when the garage he pulls into is that of a former political prisoner, who believes Eghbal to be the intelligence officer who tortured him. Strongly recommended The Regent Fri Aug 15, 7pm The Regent Wed Aug 20, 3.45pm THE TEXASCHAIN SAW MASSACRE + CHAIN REACTIONS Director: Tobe Hooper Director: Alexandre O. Philippe USA I'm cheating a little bit on the five-film pass with this double feature, but these two deserve to be paired together. It's difficult to call as divisive a genre as horror "good value", but a 4K restoration of one of the genre's most important documents, paired with an exploration of its legacy by one of cinema's most studious documentarians, Alexandre Philippe, is not to be missed at this year's festival. Chain Reactions looks at the cultural legacy of the Texas road trip that turned bloody. Strongly recommended The Regent Sat Aug 16, 9pm The Regent Sun Aug 17, 10am (Q+A) EDDINGTON Director: Ari Aster USA Eddington is one of the few films on this list that could easily have been cast under any ticket. This conspiracy Western is set amid the Covid-19 pandemic, in New Mexico. With three significant movies already under his belt, Aster might be the most recognisable name at the festival this year. Expect Beau is Afraid, not Midsommar, in this polarising satire about TikTok, misinformation, and libertarianism. Strongly recommended The Regent Sun Aug 17, 5.15pm WENT UP THE HILL Director: Samuel Van Grinsven New Zealand/Australia Aotearoa's glowing winter scenery serves as the backdrop for this tonally sombre and narratively fantastical reimagining of the classic nursery rhyme, Jack and Jill. Dacre Montgomery and Vicky Krieps are transcendent (literally) as estranged son and grieving widow to Elizabeth, layering agony and endurance into each frame. As the pacing settles in, so too does the tonal horror, and new truths about their relationships come to light. Strongly recommended Rialto Thurs Aug 21, 6pm WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES Directors: Bela Tarr, Agnes Hranitzky Hungary/France/Germany/Italy Bela Tarr and Agnes Hranitzky's art-horror funeral march on lingering fascism in Eastern Europe is desolate, desperate, and formally distinct. Werckmeister Harmonies is one of the most important texts in cinematic history, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see it projected on the big screen should not be passed up. Strongly recommended Rialto Sat Aug 30, 12.45pm 2. WORLD CINEMA: Here's a globetrotting adventure in world cinema for a fraction of the cost of plane tickets, spotlighting five unique cultures and countries that figure prominently as characters in this mixed bag. THE PRESIDENT'S CAKE Hasan Hadi Iraq/USA/Qatar The first of several Cannes award-winning films under this ticket, The President's Cake is the directorial debut of Iraqi writer/director Hasan Hadi. Nine-year-old Lamia is chosen to bake a birthday cake for President Saddam Hussein. Amid the Gulf War's crippling food shortages, Lamia faces an Odyssean task of gathering ingredients to avoid imprisonment. The Regent Tue Aug 19, 1.30pm The Regent Sat Aug 23, 10am THE SECRET AGENT Kleber Mendonca Filho Brazil/France/Netherlands/ Germany The Secret Agent is a high-stakes political thriller out of Brazil. Starring Wagner Moura and set during the period of Brazilian military dictatorship, the film won best director at Cannes and can be expected to feature prominently with other award bodies until the Oscars, in March, next year. Filho's last award-winning film, Bacurau, was an electronically-scored Spaghetti Western-feeling political thriller about a small town resisting colonial genocide. Strongly recommended The Regent Sat Aug 23, 2.45pm THE NEW YEAR THAT NEVER CAME Bogdan Muresanu Romania/Serbia This slow-burning historical "tragicomedy" explores six convergent lives during the 1989 Romanian revolution, which saw 42 years of Marxist-Leninist communist government come to an end. The ensemble piece is a snapshot of this moment, teleporting viewers back in time, into the streets of Bucharest. Rialto Sat Aug 23, 3pm SOUND OF FALLING Mascha Schilinski Germany This gothic German anthology film follows four women over the course of a century, exploring their intersecting lives, which slowly twist together and emotionally unravel as secrets are spilled, and their intergenerational trauma haunts the narrative. Rialto Sun Aug 24, 12.45pm HAPPYEND Neo Sora Japan/USA A near-future Orwellian exploration of Japan's social environment, Happyend is a lo-fi science fiction film that tackles adolescence and the surveillance state. Faced with the threat of a catastrophic earthquake, two troublemakers turn their district dystopian after a prank on their principal backfires. Neo Sora also directed the documentary, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus, which featured at the NZIFF last year. Rialto Thurs Aug 28, 6pm 3. GENRE: The cinema is for the cinematic, and these five films are sure to reward on the big screen. Here are five striking genre movies you shouldn't miss. RESURRECTION Bi Gan China/France Artfully composed high-concept science fiction. In a future where no-one can dream, a woman discovers the one creature that can. Its inventive dream logic extends from the narrative to the very composition of the film itself — a vibrant and unknowable trance-like state to lure the viewer in. Formally operatic and narratively Kafkaesque, director Bi Gan cites seminal German expressionist films The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Nosferatu as key influences on Resurrection. The Regent Sun Aug 17, 8pm THE SHROUDS David Cronenberg Canada/France Last year, we celebrated a kind of "Cronenbergian horror" at The Substance; this year, we have the real deal. Re-animation and body horror are the subjects of legacy horror film-maker David Cronenberg. In The Shrouds, he explores post-death, blurring reality and illusion, human flesh and technology, in a post-modern, grotesque, semi-autobiographical, horror/sci-fi. The Regent Mon Aug 18, 8.15pm SPLITSVILLE Michael Angelo Covino USA Perhaps the most straightforward comedy on this list, Splitsville will have you splitting at the seams with its uncomfortable absurdity. A potential four-way open marriage complicates emotional boundaries in this Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona-starring indie dramedy. The Regent Fri Aug 22, 6pm BRING THEM DOWN Christopher Andrews Ireland/UK/Belgium Christopher Abbot and Barry Keoghan are rival farmers in this violent revenge thriller about Irish shepherding families. Rialto Wed Aug 27, 8pm HARD BOILED John Woo Hong Kong What if The Departed were a Hong Kong action movie? Hard Boiled is "pedal to the metal" action hysteria — a delirium of guns, guts, and glory. Leung's pained performance carries the emotional weight of the film, doing the Herculean task of showing up Chow Yun-fat in a Hong Kong action film. Hard Boiled is a two-hour-long action scene complete with thrilling standoffs, horrific throat slits and hilarious baby antics. Strongly recommended Rialto Sun Aug 31, 7.30pm 4. CINEPHILE: After seeing Eddington, here are five more films for the Letterboxd users. BLUE MOON Richard Linklater USA/Ireland On March 31, 1943, acclaimed Broadway duet Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were opening Oklahoma!, their first musical written together. The movie focuses on Rodgers' former creative partner, Lorenz Hart (portrayed by Ethan Hawke), who was struggling with alcohol and depression. The film largely takes place at a bar, with Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale and Andrew Scott in supporting roles. The Regent Tue Aug 19, 6pm The Regent Fri Aug 22, 1.30pm SIRAT Oliver Laxe Spain/France Hardtek raves in the Southern Moroccan desert don't cater to dads searching for lost daughters. Watch Sergi Lopez navigate psychological purgatory in this Jury Prize-winning sandy neo-hippie thrash. The Regent Wed Aug 20, 8.15pm THE MASTERMIND Kelly Reichardt USA/UK I'm hooked on the bouncy, rhythmic score that underlies hazy shots of Josh O'Connor lifting works of art from public museums. The Mastermind follows Reichardt's oeuvre of working-class individuals, this one living a double life as an art thief in 1970s Massachusetts. The Regent Thurs Aug 21, 6pm SORRY, BABY Eva Victor USA Tackling dark subject matter with an honest and authentic approach to comedy, Sorry, Baby is written by, directed by and stars Eva Victor. Victor's "traumedy" spans five years in the healing and aftermath of sexual assault by her former professor. Her balance of dry wit and heartfelt emotion compassionately considers the survivor experience. The film also stars Naomi Ackie and Lucas Hedges. Strongly recommended The Regent Thurs Aug 21, 8.15pm SENTIMENTAL VALUE Joachim Trier Norway/France/Denmark/ Germany Joachim Trier reunites with Renate Reinsve after their modest 2021 sensation, The Worst Person in the World. Trier's authentic and slightly naive sensibility speaks directly to high-strung young creatives. His films navigate an ocean of feelings — joy, melancholy, anger, loneliness — centring characters traversing the messy reality of life. Stellan Skarsgard co-stars as a film director and estranged father to Reinsve. Strongly recommended The Regent Sun Aug 24, 6.45pm 5. THE STUDENT TICKET: This ticket spans low-budget DIY projects, illicit substances, social media parasocialism and Dunedin on screen. LIFE IN ONE CHORD Margaret Gordon New Zealand/Australia Exploring the life and work of Shayne Carter, Life in One Chord lives in the heart of Dunedin's music scene. Traversing Dunedin's suburbs, this punkish rockumentary premieres globally at the Regent Theatre. The Regent Sat Aug 16, 6.15pm (Q+A) The Regent Tue Aug 19, 3.45pm WORKMATES Curtis Vowell New Zealand Unacknowledged love between Kiwi creatives comes to the fore in contemporary Shortland Street director Curtis Vowell's workplace comedy, Workmates. In a desperate plea to save the antique theatre they both love, best friends Lucy and Tom explore the awkward arena of workplace crushes. With rave reviews out of Auckland, be sure to add this one to your watchlist. The Regent Mon Aug 18, 6pm LURKER Alex Russell USA Part-Nightcrawler, part-The Talented Mr. Ripley, with stars from Saltburn and Bottoms, this modern music industry psychological thriller looks at pop stars, parasocial fans and social media stalkers. The Regent Tue Aug 19, 8.15pm THE WEED EATERS Callum Devlin New Zealand The Weed Eaters is the festival's spiritual heir to a '90s Peter Jackson horror-comedy or a Taika Waititi 48-hour film festival entry. Take the title literally and beware the intensity of your munchies. Think of this in the same ilk as Texas Chain Saw, cannibalism, carnage and all. Rialto Fri Aug 22, 8.15pm LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESS Emma Hough Hobbs, Leela Varghese Australia In the Gay-laxy, in the queer utopian kingdom of Clitopolis, an anxious and introverted Princess Saira misses her ex, and must summon her feminist battle axe to save her situationship from incel aliens. From real-life couple Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, this Cartoon Network-inspired intergalactic romp is designedly unrestrained and wickedly funny with delightful musical numbers. Strongly recommended The Regent Sat Aug 23, 8.15pm
Otago Daily Times
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Five fixes for a fabulous festival
Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for The Circle (2000), and later winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for Taxi (2015), Jafar Panahi completes a European film festival treble with Cannes' Palme d'Or winner It Was Just an Accident . This Iranian political thriller is the NZIFF's opening night film selection for a reason. Driving at night, an accident damages Eghbal's car, whose night goes from bad to worse when the garage he pulls into is that of a former political prisoner, who believes Eghbal to be the intelligence officer who tortured him. The Regent Fri Aug 15, 7pm The Regent Wed Aug 20, 3.45pm THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE + CHAIN REACTIONSTobe HooperAlexandre O. Philippe USA I'm cheating a little bit on the five-film pass with this double feature, but these two deserve to be paired together. It's difficult to call as divisive a genre as horror "good value", but a 4K restoration of one of the genre's most important documents, paired with an exploration of its legacy by one of cinema's most studious documentarians, Alexandre Philippe, is not to be missed at this year's festival. Chain Reactions looks at the cultural legacy of the Texas road trip that turned bloody. The Regent Sat Aug 16, 9pm The Regent Sun Aug 17, 10am (Q+A) EDDINGTONAri Aster USA Eddington is one of the few films on this list that could easily have been cast under any ticket. This conspiracy Western is set amid the Covid-19 pandemic, in New Mexico. With three significant movies already under his belt, Aster might be the most recognisable name at the festival this year. Expect Beau is Afraid , not Midsommar , in this polarising satire about TikTok, misinformation, and libertarianism. The Regent Sun Aug 17, 5.15pm WENT UP THE HILLSamuel Van Grinsven New Zealand/Australia Aotearoa's glowing winter scenery serves as the backdrop for this tonally sombre and narratively fantastical reimagining of the classic nursery rhyme, Jack and Jill . Dacre Montgomery and Vicky Krieps are transcendent (literally) as estranged son and grieving widow to Elizabeth, layering agony and endurance into each frame. As the pacing settles in, so too does the tonal horror, and new truths about their relationships come to light. Rialto Thurs Aug 21, 6pm WERCKMEISTER HARMONIESBela Tarr, Agnes Hranitzky Hungary/France/Germany/Italy Bela Tarr and Agnes Hranitzky's art-horror funeral march on lingering fascism in Eastern Europe is desolate, desperate, and formally distinct. Werckmeister Harmonies is one of the most important texts in cinematic history, and a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see it projected on the big screen should not be passed up. Rialto Sat Aug 30, 12.45pm 2. WORLD CINEMA Here's a globetrotting adventure in world cinema for a fraction of the cost of plane tickets, spotlighting five unique cultures and countries that figure prominently as characters in this mixed bag. THE PRESIDENT'S CAKEHasan Hadi Iraq/USA/Qatar The first of several Cannes award-winning films under this ticket, The President's Cake is the directorial debut of Iraqi writer/director Hasan Hadi. Nine-year-old Lamia is chosen to bake a birthday cake for President Saddam Hussein. Amid the Gulf War's crippling food shortages, Lamia faces an Odyssean task of gathering ingredients to avoid imprisonment. The Regent Tue Aug 19, 1.30pm The Regent Sat Aug 23, 10am THE SECRET AGENTKleber Mendonca Filho Brazil/France/Netherlands/Germany The Secret Agent is a high-stakes political thriller out of Brazil. Starring Wagner Moura and set during the period of Brazilian military dictatorship, the film won best director at Cannes and can be expected to feature prominently with other award bodies until the Oscars, in March, next year. Filho's last award-winning film, Bacurau , was an electronically-scored Spaghetti Western-feeling political thriller about a small town resisting colonial genocide. The Regent Sat Aug 23, 2.45pm THE NEW YEAR THAT NEVER CAMEBogdan Muresanu Romania/Serbia This slow-burning historical "tragicomedy" explores six convergent lives during the 1989 Romanian revolution, which saw 42 years of Marxist-Leninist communist government come to an end. The ensemble piece is a snapshot of this moment, teleporting viewers back in time, into the streets of Bucharest. Rialto Sat Aug 23, 3pm SOUND OF FALLINGMascha Schilinski Germany This gothic German anthology film follows four women over the course of a century, exploring their intersecting lives, which slowly twist together and emotionally unravel as secrets are spilled, and their intergenerational trauma haunts the narrative. Rialto Sun Aug 24, 12.45pm HAPPYENDNeo Sora Japan/USA A near-future Orwellian exploration of Japan's social environment, Happyend is a lo-fi science fiction film that tackles adolescence and the surveillance state. Faced with the threat of a catastrophic earthquake, two troublemakers turn their district dystopian after a prank on their principal backfires. Neo Sora also directed the documentary, Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus , which featured at the NZIFF last year. Rialto Thurs Aug 28, 6pm 3. GENRE The cinema is for the cinematic, and these five films are sure to reward on the big screen. Here are five striking genre movies you shouldn't miss. RESURRECTIONBi Gan China/France Artfully composed high-concept science fiction. In a future where no-one can dream, a woman discovers the one creature that can. Its inventive dream logic extends from the narrative to the very composition of the film itself — a vibrant and unknowable trance-like state to lure the viewer in. Formally operatic and narratively Kafkaesque, director Bi Gan cites seminal German expressionist films The Cabinet of Dr Caligari and Nosferatu as key influences on Resurrection . The Regent Sun Aug 17, 8pm THE SHROUDSDavid Cronenberg Canada/France Last year, we celebrated a kind of "Cronenbergian horror" at The Substance ; this year, we have the real deal. Re-animation and body horror are the subjects of legacy horror film-maker David Cronenberg. In The Shrouds , he explores post-death, blurring reality and illusion, human flesh and technology, in a post-modern, grotesque, semi-autobiographical, horror/sci-fi. The Regent Mon Aug 18, 8.15pm SPLITSVILLEMichael Angelo Covino USA Perhaps the most straightforward comedy on this list, Splitsville will have you splitting at the seams with its uncomfortable absurdity. A potential four-way open marriage complicates emotional boundaries in this Dakota Johnson and Adria Arjona-starring indie dramedy. The Regent Fri Aug 22, 6pm BRING THEM DOWNChristopher Andrews Ireland/UK/Belgium Christopher Abbot and Barry Keoghan are rival farmers in this violent revenge thriller about Irish shepherding families. Rialto Wed Aug 27, 8pm HARD BOILEDJohn Woo Hong Kong What if The Departed were a Hong Kong action movie? Hard Boiled is "pedal to the metal" action hysteria — a delirium of guns, guts, and glory. Leung's pained performance carries the emotional weight of the film, doing the Herculean task of showing up Chow Yun-fat in a Hong Kong action film. Hard Boiled is a two-hour-long action scene complete with thrilling standoffs, horrific throat slits and hilarious baby antics. Rialto Sun Aug 31, 7.30pm 4. CINEPHILE After seeing Eddington, here are five more films for the Letterboxd users. BLUE MOONRichard Linklater USA/Ireland On March 31, 1943, acclaimed Broadway duet Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were opening Oklahoma! , their first musical written together. The movie focuses on Rodgers' former creative partner, Lorenz Hart (portrayed by Ethan Hawke), who was struggling with alcohol and depression. The film largely takes place at a bar, with Margaret Qualley, Bobby Cannavale and Andrew Scott in supporting roles. The Regent Tue Aug 19, 6pm The Regent Fri Aug 22, 1.30pm SIRATOliver Laxe Spain/France Hardtek raves in the Southern Moroccan desert don't cater to dads searching for lost daughters. Watch Sergi Lopez navigate psychological purgatory in this Jury Prize-winning sandy neo-hippie thrash. The Regent Wed Aug 20, 8.15pm THE MASTERMINDKelly Reichardt USA/UK I'm hooked on the bouncy, rhythmic score that underlies hazy shots of Josh O'Connor lifting works of art from public museums. The Mastermind follows Reichardt's oeuvre of working-class individuals, this one living a double life as an art thief in 1970s Massachusetts. The Regent Thurs Aug 21, 6pm SORRY, BABYEva Victor USA Tackling dark subject matter with an honest and authentic approach to comedy, Sorry, Baby is written by, directed by and stars Eva Victor. Victor's "traumedy" spans five years in the healing and aftermath of sexual assault by her former professor. Her balance of dry wit and heartfelt emotion compassionately considers the survivor experience. The film also stars Naomi Ackie and Lucas Hedges. The Regent Thurs Aug 21, 8.15pm SENTIMENTAL VALUEJoachim Trier Norway/France/Denmark/Germany Joachim Trier reunites with Renate Reinsve after their modest 2021 sensation, The Worst Person in the World . Trier's authentic and slightly naive sensibility speaks directly to high-strung young creatives. His films navigate an ocean of feelings — joy, melancholy, anger, loneliness — centring characters traversing the messy reality of life. Stellan Skarsgard co-stars as a film director and estranged father to Reinsve. The Regent Sun Aug 24, 6.45pm 5. THE STUDENT TICKET This ticket spans low-budget DIY projects, illicit substances, social media parasocialism and Dunedin on screen. LIFE IN ONE CHORDMargaret Gordon New Zealand/Australia Exploring the life and work of Shayne Carter, Life in One Chord lives in the heart of Dunedin's music scene. Traversing Dunedin's suburbs, this punkish rockumentary premieres globally at the Regent Theatre. The Regent Sat Aug 16, 6.15pm (Q+A) The Regent Tue Aug 19, 3.45pm WORKMATESCurtis Vowell New Zealand Unacknowledged love between Kiwi creatives comes to the fore in contemporary Shortland Street director Curtis Vowell's workplace comedy, Workmates . In a desperate plea to save the antique theatre they both love, best friends Lucy and Tom explore the awkward arena of workplace crushes. With rave reviews out of Auckland, be sure to add this one to your watchlist. The Regent Mon Aug 18, 6pm LURKERAlex Russell USA Part- Nightcrawler , part- The Talented Mr. Ripley , with stars from Saltburn and Bottoms , this modern music industry psychological thriller looks at pop stars, parasocial fans and social media stalkers. The Regent Tue Aug 19, 8.15pm THE WEED EATERSCallum Devlin New Zealand The Weed Eaters is the festival's spiritual heir to a '90s Peter Jackson horror-comedy or a Taika Waititi 48-hour film festival entry. Take the title literally and beware the intensity of your munchies. Think of this in the same ilk as Texas Chain Saw , cannibalism, carnage and all. Rialto Fri Aug 22, 8.15pm LESBIAN SPACE PRINCESSEmma Hough Hobbs, Leela Varghese Australia In the Gay-laxy, in the queer utopian kingdom of Clitopolis, an anxious and introverted Princess Saira misses her ex, and must summon her feminist battle axe to save her situationship from incel aliens. From real-life couple Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, this Cartoon Network-inspired intergalactic romp is designedly unrestrained and wickedly funny with delightful musical numbers. The Regent Sat Aug 23, 8.15pm
Deccan Herald
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Deccan Herald
'It Was Just an Accident' Cannes review: Jafar Panahi's latest is a suspenseful political drama
Jafar Panahi's 'It Was Just an Accident' emerged as the most politically urgent and emotionally devastating entry, earning the veteran Iranian filmmaker the prestigious Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Yet, the film's resonance goes far beyond awards. It is both a powerful work of cinematic art and a defiant act of resistance — crafted in secrecy, brimming with moral complexity, and deeply rooted in the personal and political trauma of Iran's recent film opens with a mundane incident that quickly spirals into a moral crucible. A family — husband Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi), his pregnant wife, and their daughter — accidentally hit a dog on a dark road. Their car breaks down, and they take refuge at a garage where the attendant, Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), hears the creak of Eghbal's prosthetic leg. The sound triggers Vahid's memory of being tortured in prison; he is convinced this man is "Peg-leg," the interrogator who brutalised him and others under the Iranian regime. Driven by a thirst for vengeance, Vahid abducts Eghbal and prepares to bury him alive. But doubt soon emerges — is this truly the man who tormented him? .What follows is a suspenseful, often darkly comic odyssey that unfolds over the course of a single day. Vahid assembles a group of fellow victims — Shiva, a photographer; Goli and Ali, a couple interrupted mid-wedding shoot; and Hamid, a volatile former detainee — to verify Eghbal's identity. Each character brings their trauma and perspective, and their debates — whether driven by rage, resignation, or uncertainty — form the moral backbone of the brilliance of Panahi's script lies in its refusal to offer clarity. We, like the characters, are blindfolded — uncertain of the truth, forced to wrestle with our assumptions and sympathies. Is Eghbal the perpetrator? And if he is, does vengeance restore justice — or simply perpetuate the cycle of violence? .Thematically, 'It Was Just an Accident' echoes Panahi's own life. Since 2010, he has faced imprisonment, house arrest, and a ban on filmmaking imposed by the Iranian government. Yet, he has continued to make films in secret, turning limitations into artistic innovation. The film is imbued with the urgency and emotional charge of someone who has suffered but remains defiant. .While rooted in Iran's political reality, the film transcends its immediate context. Panahi's film confronts the impossibility of closure for survivors of state violence. The blindfold motif — used both literally and symbolically — underscores how justice is often obscured, reliant on memory, interpretation, and 'It Was Just an Accident' is not merely a grim reckoning. Panahi interweaves moments of absurdity and dark humour: a bride in full gown pushing a van, debates over bribe payments made via contactless card readers, and exasperated arguments about the cost of vengeance. These comic detours do not undercut the film's gravity; instead, they humanise the characters and reveal the surreal logic of life under authoritarian rule. The long extended standing ovation Panahi received at the festival after the film's stunning conclusion, was considered by many as less like applause and more like solidarity. The jury's decision to award him the Palme d'Or was not only an artistic endorsement but also a symbolic act — recognising the risks he took, the message he delivered, and the bravery of creating such a film under oppressive conditions. .The final scenes, marked by a long static take and a crescendo of emotional unraveling, are unforgettable, but could have been avoided in terms of aesthetic principles of keeping open the dilemmas of human situation. Though they encapsulate the fragility of truth, the brutality of memory, and the ambiguity of justice, confirming the identity of the perpetrator and his rather lame confessions could appear prosaic. But that doesn't lessen the final impact of the film. Rather than offering resolution, Panahi leaves us with questions —about ourselves, about systems of power, and about how pain lingers across is a film of political resistance, moral inquiry, and cinematic excellence. It reminds us that cinema, even when made in defiance of tyranny, can illuminate, challenge, and change the world — or at the very least, its viewers.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘It Was Just an Accident' Review: Iranian Auteur Jafar Panahi Returns to Cannes With an Artful Tale of Trauma and Revenge
With a decades-long filmmaking and travel ban finally lifted by the Iranian authorities, award-winning auteur Jafar Panahi is attending Cannes for the first time since 2003, back when his thriller Crimson Gold won the Un Certain Regard prize. And yet the new movie he's premiering in competition, It Was Just an Accident, is far from a concession to the ruling regime in Iran. If anything, it's the opposite: a taut, intricately crafted drama about the traumas suffered by political dissidents and other opponents of power, whether they're renowned directors like himself or just regular working-class citizens. Putting aside the self-reflexive storytelling that has marked much of his work since he was first arrested in 2010, Panahi's latest feature is a straightforward 24-hour narrative staged with his usual attention to realistic detail, and backed by a terrific ensemble cast. Subtly plotted like a good thriller, the movie slowly but surely builds into a stark condemnation of abusive power and its long-lasting effects. More from The Hollywood Reporter 'Love Me Tender' Review: Vicky Krieps Anchors a Hard-Hitting Chronicle of Motherhood and Sexual Freedom That Overstays Its Welcome Ari Aster, Lars Knudsen on Cannes Dreams, Nightmares and Surfing Their Momentum Scarlett Johansson's 'Eleanor the Great' Draws Cheers, Tears at Cannes Premiere It's been a while since we've seen Panahi make a pure piece of fiction, even if this story of torture, imprisonment and the possibility of revenge feels autobiographical in more ways than one. But compared to This is Not a Film, Closed Curtain, Taxi, and No Bears, in which the director was obliged to play the main character because nobody was allowed to work with him, this more traditionally helmed effort is a throwback to earlier movies like Offside, The Circle or his real-time breakthrough, The White Balloon. Time is certainly of the essence in It Was Just an Accident, which begins, like so many Panahi flicks, inside of a car. The driver, Eghbal (Ebrahim Azizi), is heading home at night with his wife (Afssaneh Najmabadi) and daughter (Delmaz Najafi) when he runs into a dog, killing the poor pup and wrecking his engine. He manages to make it over to a nearby warehouse to get some help, at which point the film abruptly switches points of view to Vahid (Valid Mobasseri), a worker who spots Eghbal as he heads inside. Or more like, Vahid hears Eghbal, which seems like a minor difference but will have a major impact on the story that follows. For reasons gradually divulged as the tension begins to mount, the worker follows the driver back to his house, stalking the man until he gets his car towed to a garage the next morning. At that point Vahid literally shifts into high gear, driving by Eghbal in a van, knocking him out and kidnapping him. The next thing you know, Vahid is digging a hole in which he's preparing to bury Eghbal alive. If this sounds like the start of a B-grade serial killer flick, what happens in It Was Just an Accident is far more realistic when we learn that Vahid believes Eghbal — a nickname meaning Peg-leg in Farsi — is the intelligence officer who tortured him in prison many years earlier, all but ruining his life. Still, Vahid remains doubtful enough about Eghbal's identity that he reaches out to a fellow prisoner for confirmation, who sends him to a former detainee named Shiva (Maryam Afshari) working as a wedding photographer. Soon enough, Vahid's van is loaded with a handful of victims all seeking revenge on the man who abused them for months on end, seemingly because they did nothing more than voice their grievances against the authorities. The catch, which adds another layer of suspense until the penultimate scene, is that they're not entirely sure the guy packed into the van is the right person, their only evidence being that he also has an artificial leg. (The sound that alerted Vahid earlier was the squeaking of Eghbal's prosthesis.) Panahi uses this set-up to explore the ripple effects of autocratic abuse on several characters who don't know each other, but are connected by the same persecutor. As the team rides around from day till night — like so many great Iranian movies, this one mostly takes place on the road — we get to hear snippets of what they all went through. Alongside the ringleader Vahid, whose kidney was badly damaged from numerous beatings, there's also a bride (Hadis Pakbaten) who ditches her wedding to go after the man who raped and tortured her; and an angry worker (Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr) so out for blood that he doesn't really care if their kidnappee is the right guy. 'Even dead, they're a scourge on humanity,' he says of all the intelligence officers serving under the regime. This sounds like dark stuff, and much of It Was Just an Accident plunges into the multiple traumas Vahid and the others have never managed to get over. And yet Panahi inserts sly moments of humor into his tale as well, whether it's the absurd way events unspool after the opening accident, or else the bizarre situation the five strangers find themselves in, which one of them compares to Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Later that evening, they cross paths with Eghbal's family, and suddenly the hostage-takers are rushing a pregnant woman to the hospital, after which Vahid heads to a bakery to buy everyone dessert. These moments aren't only there to cheer us up, but to allow Vahid and his crew to contemplate the morality of what they're doing — to ask whether killing Eghbal, if their captive is indeed Eghbal, ultimately serves a good purpose. This is obviously Panahi's way of asking those same questions aloud, both as a man who suffered months of unlawful imprisonment and as an artist who couldn't officially make films for years, even if he found brilliant ways to circumvent the interdictions. His new movie never provides us with a clear answer, suggesting in its hauntingly perfect finale that whether you bury an evil man like Eghbal or not, he will always remain by your side. Like all of Panahi's films since The White Balloon, Accident is artfully crafted from the first to the last frame. Cinematographer Amin Jafari — who shot the excellent Hit the Road, which was helmed by the director's son, Panah (credited as artistic consultant) — captures many scenes in single takes, either riding around in the van or from a fixed position somewhere in the hills above Tehran. The ensemble sequences, of which there are several, feel more theatrical than anything Panahi has made thus far, allowing him to showcase the talents of his cast in ways he was unable to do for decades. It's a welcome aesthetic change from all the films the director had to shoot behind closed doors, sometimes with only a tiny video camera. And yet in the end, It Was Just an Accident offers another fascinating case of Panahi turning the camera on himself. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Goonies' Cast, Then and Now "A Nutless Monkey Could Do Your Job": From Abusive to Angst-Ridden, 16 Memorable Studio Exec Portrayals in Film and TV The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked
