The film manages to be hilarious, macabre and deadly serious
Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s brilliant film It Was Just An Accident combines elements of suspense thriller, dark comedy, farce and political satire.
It does this to pose a dilemma—is it justified to use revolutionary violence? Or does that violence discredit the humanity of those who struggle against oppression?
The film was a worthy winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2025. It is remarkable as Panahi himself faced a six year prison sentence under the Iranian regime and a 20 year filmmaking ban.
Through his own ingenuity he has created films under extreme pressure from the state.
The plot revolves around Vahid, a car mechanic who is a victim of vicious state violence.
He identifies his torturer, Eghbal, after his car breaks down and arrives at Vahid’s garage. Anger drives Vahid to kidnap his oppressor to avenge the crimes of the state against himself and his comrades.
He attempts to bury Eghbal alive. However, Vahid’s conscience troubles him as Eghbal pleads his innocence. He becomes uncertain whether he has the right man.
Vahid consults others who were victims of state brutality—a bookseller, a photographer, a bride and a local community spokesperson. The traumatised characters all represent aspects of the collective resistance to the authoritarian regime and their desperate need for justice.
After a series of surreal and violent incidents, Eghbal admits his role in torturing all of them.
It is left to the characters to decide his fate. Should they exact revenge on the oppressor or should they exhibit the humanity they were never shown?
The film manages to be hilarious, macabre and deadly serious. The corruption of the country is laid bare.
The film is a brave act of defiance against the authoritarian state. First in its sympathetic understanding of the characters’ political struggle. Second, through Panahi’s own defiance of state oppression.
Collateral Damage
Collateral Damage, an eight part podcast series hosted by investigative journalist Radley Balko, covers the stories of those who needlessly died in the United States war on drugs.
It is an indictment on the myriad of ways the police and the state prey on, manipulate and discriminate against black people, addicts and working class Americans for its own gains.
Telling an overarching history from former president Richard Nixon’s “war on drugs” to today, the podcast dives into individual stories to illustrate a bigger picture
It uncovers the lives of the innocents, who were treated as dispensable in what became an assault on working class people.
The podcast lets people tell their own stories, in their own words, with Balko adding background facts and analysis.
Through interviews with victims, their families and people within the justice system, the series tells the story of those who found themselves at the centre of a narrative they didn’t know existed.
It investigates an array of victims. It explores the dangers in “no‑knock raids” through the stories of Alberta Spruill and Ryan Frederick, both victims in different ways of these raids.
It examines the “dehumanising” methods and manipulation behind the US informants system through the murder of teenager LeBron Gaither.
Medical marijuana is looked at through the story of Peter McWilliams.
The podcast also delves into US foreign policy and the legacy of the “backyard” of US imperialist influence.
Unlike Balko’s independent journalism, it does rely somewhat on ex-police officers and those within the justice system. It attempts to present them as “good apples”, when they are part of the rot.
Overall, though, this is an extremely thoughtful examination of just a few of those unjustly killed in the US war on drugs. It’s well worth a listen.
