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Thriller Cannes 2025 · Palme d'Or Editor's Pick

It Was Just an Accident Review (2025) — 87% Celluloid Score

Directed by Jafar Panahi · 2025 ·

Short answer

Is It Was Just an Accident worth watching?

Yes. It Was Just an Accident (2025) earns an 87% Celluloid Score. That puts it in our Recommended tier. Critics (98%) were notably more enthusiastic than audiences (88%). See the 4 inputs.

87%
Celluloid Score Recommended

4-input transparent breakdown

98% Editorial Rating
88% Audience snapshot · excluded
91 Metascore
★★★★☆ Letterboxd 4.2
7.5 IMDb /10
0
Watch Trailer
Runtime
1h 44m
Age rating
PG-13 (US) · 12A (UK) · 17+ (Indonesia) · M (Australia) · 14A (Canada)
Cast
Vahid Mobasseri , Ebrahim Azizi , Mariam Afshari , Hadis Pakbaten
Streaming
Hulu
Country
Iran
Language
Persian

Also known as Un simple accident Fue solo un accidente Un simple accidente Ein einfacher Unfall Foi Apenas um Acidente シンプル・アクシデント／偶然 그저 사고였을 뿐 普通事故

Where to watch

  • Hulu

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home

Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube, Fandango at Home

Where to watch It Was Just an Accident by country

Country Streaming on
India MUBI
Pakistan MUBI
Turkey MUBI
United Kingdom MUBI
United States Hulu

Subscription availability, refreshed from TMDB. Rental and purchase options may differ.

Why this score?

  • Celluloid's editorial rating is exceptional (98/100).
  • General viewers mostly liked it (88%).
  • Metascore signals universal acclaim (91/100).
  • Letterboxd diarists rate it highly (4.2/5).
  • Celluloid Score 87% combines 4 rating inputs; audience sentiment is shown separately. Consult the source notes for verification dates where recorded.

Best for

  • Viewers who want a well-regarded thriller pick
  • Short runtime — easy weeknight watch
  • Critics' darlings — stronger with reviewers than general viewers

Not ideal for

    Scores reflect data indexed at build time. Component sources are shown on this page; Celluloid Score is our composite, not a third-party trademark. Scoring policy

    Streaming availability, artwork and title metadata courtesy of TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

    Is It Was Just an Accident worth watching?

    Yes — It Was Just an Accident earns an 87% Celluloid Score. That puts it in our Recommended tier. It suits viewers who want a well-regarded thriller pick. Read our full review (5/5).

    Celluloid verdict

    Jafar Panahi turns a chance encounter into a tense moral interrogation of state cruelty, channeling his own history of imprisonment into a thriller that argues its politics through pure narrative tension rather than speeches.

    , Founder & Editor

    Critics (98%) were notably more enthusiastic than audiences (88%).

    What is It Was Just an Accident about?

    What begins as a minor accident sets in motion a series of escalating consequences.

    Watch the Trailer

    Critic Reviews

    Short review 4 min read English It Was Just an Accident

    It Was Just an Accident (2025) Review: Revenge on Trial

    It Was Just an Accident is Jafar Panahi's Palme d'Or-winning thriller about former prisoners who may have found their torturer: tense, funny and morally piercing.

    Yes. It is essential viewing, a gripping political thriller that works as pure suspense and as a searching argument about justice, revenge and forgiveness.

    Kaiser Khan Founder & Editor

    It Was Just an Accident stills

    Official production imagery supplied through TMDB, kept with the movie instead of split into a thin gallery page.

    It Was Just an Accident production still 1
    It Was Just an Accident production still 2
    It Was Just an Accident production still 3
    It Was Just an Accident production still 4
    It Was Just an Accident production still 5
    It Was Just an Accident production still 6

    Images courtesy of TMDB. TMDB does not endorse or certify Celluloid.

    Reader takes

    No reader takes published yet. Send yours and we may publish it after editing.

    It Was Just an Accident: frequently asked questions

    Is It Was Just an Accident worth watching?

    Yes. It Was Just an Accident (2025) has a Celluloid Score of 87%, averaged from the available Celluloid editorial, Metascore, Letterboxd and IMDb ratings. That puts it in our Recommended tier. Audience sentiment is shown separately and does not change the score.

    Where can I watch It Was Just an Accident?

    In the United States, It Was Just an Accident streams on Hulu with a subscription, and you can rent it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV, Google Play, YouTube. Elsewhere: MUBI in India; MUBI in Pakistan; MUBI in Turkey; MUBI in the United Kingdom. Availability changes; the where-to-watch table on this page is refreshed from TMDB.

    How long is It Was Just an Accident?

    It Was Just an Accident runs 1 hour 44 minutes (104 minutes).

    What is It Was Just an Accident rated?

    It Was Just an Accident is rated PG-13 in the United States, 12A in the UK, 17+ in Indonesia, M in Australia and 14A in Canada. These are the official classifications as recorded on TMDB; check your local classification board for content advice.

    Who stars in It Was Just an Accident?

    It Was Just an Accident is directed by Jafar Panahi and stars Vahid Mobasseri, Ebrahim Azizi, Mariam Afshari, Hadis Pakbaten.

    What is the Metascore for It Was Just an Accident?

    Metacritic's Metascore for It Was Just an Accident is 91 out of 100. It is one of the inputs to the Celluloid Score.

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