Jafar Panahi’s deserving Palme d’Or winner is a taut thriller and timely morality tale.

A minor traffic accident reunites two men with a fraught past, setting one on a path of revenge before doubts creep in. Panahi (The White Balloon, 3 Faces, Offside) begins with a gently humorous road trip, closely observing every action, while steadily revealing a critique of a regime’s lasting impact and the risks faced by those who resist it.

Despite years of detentions, house arrests, travel bans, and a ban on filmmaking, Panahi’s determination has never faltered; he has continued shooting in secret when necessary, asserting his freedom through creation. With It Was Just An Accident, in which citizens quietly confront State officials, he returns to fiction without abandoning the themes that define his work, remaining a sharp observer of his homeland.