SCREENING FROM FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5TH.

The titular mishap is the catalyst for an escalating series of unfortunate occurrences in Jafar Panahi’s latest broadside against the Iranian government.

A man is driving at night with his pregnant wife when he accidentally runs over a dog, damaging his car. Local garage owner Vahid thinks he recognises the man as the officer who once tortured him in prison. Driven by a desire for revenge, Vahid kidnaps the stranger. However, as he seeks confirmation of the man’s identity from fellow former prisoners, including a bookseller, a wedding photographer, and a newlywed couple, the group grapples with moral dilemmas about vengeance and the possibility of mistaken identity.

A welcome streak of mordant gallows humour adds an extra layer to what is already a caustic satire of an oppressive regime and its legacy of trauma.

Notes by David O Mahony.