Disclaimer: I’m a blind film critic. I normally watch films with audio description. Neon chose to not produce an English Audio Description track for this film.

This one is tough. i sit in the comfort of a living room,writing a review of a film. I don’t know what it is like to be put in an extreme circumstance where simply making art brands me a criminal, but director Jafar Panahi does. he’s already facing a year in prison in Iran should he return to the country. His film started its journey at Cannes, where it won the Palme d’or prize, and was acquired by neon for theatrical release and Oscar consideration. this is not the first time they have bid and won for the Palme d’Or winner, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

Neon proceeded to stack themselves with a slate of formidable International features, all of which could easily land Oscar nominations in just a few weeks. It Was just An Accident has been breaking out of the International Feature race, where it is France’s submission, garnering a nomination for Best Motion picture Drama, Best Director, and the International Feature category equivalent at the Oscars. Granted, it hasn’t swept the season, but it seems to be already outpacing last years Seed Of The sacred Fig. I believe, and have for months now, It was Just An Accident is barreling toward a Best Picture nomination.

The blind community has been able to access every Bst Picture with audio description since Parasite, also a Neon release, including other international titles released since. films like Drive My Car, All Quiet On the Western Front, I’m Still Here, Zone Of Interest, and Anatomy Of A fall all have audio description available. Neon’s decision to sidestep description this year is particularly tough considering the reach of their films. Should their Oscar campaigns pay off, they could have an entire category to themselves, maybe three films in Best Picture, two in Director, one in Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, and maybe two in Supporting Actress. It is amazing how a narrow decision from one studio can immediately put up a barrier between the blind and low vision community and others.

the fact is, blind and low vision people watch the same things everyone else does. it’s not like blindness suddenly turns you into a fan of Real Housewives, if you weren’t already. We don’t flip to Lifetime, and abandon all hope of seeing quality cinema. We often have family and friends, and we watch what they watch. the decision to not include audio description here puts up a barrier. It is one I can’t get past.

it isn’t that this was the worst two hours spent of my life. The sound design is captivating, especially in the haunting ending. All you need is cursory knowledge of what the film is about and you can imagine the effectiveness of the final sequence. the film is set in Iran, where a group of former political prisoners must decide what to do, when one of them figures out the identity of one of their abusive guards, thanks to a distinct sound his prosthetic leg makes.

The film sounds incredible. I am amazed at how Panahi managed to shoot all of this, while hiding from the government. I’ve seen American indies with sound design far worse, like their only available microphone was an old computer mic from the 90’s. Now, this is also a 6 million dollar film, so perhaps, he had the resources. However, that price tag only goes to deepen the reason I’m here. Add that budget to a few Neon figures, like the 18 million spent on the Oscar campaign for Anora, or the rumored 20 million on Parasite, and the more money involved, the more the decision to not budget for audio description feels egregious.

the truth is, I listened to the whole thing. I do this. Sometimes I’m able to find a scene with English, but that doesn’t happen here. Although, it is amazing how you hear a word, and it sounds like English, but it isn’t. I heard “hat” a lot, but I doubt it means what we have labeled it. there was a scene in a car with a kid on a phone, I’m assuming. Mostly, it was a lot of dialogue, some cool city sounds, a little bit of nighttime atmosphere, and a creepy squeaky leg. I am literally grasping at straws.

There are over a million blind Americans, and a couple million more who are low vision. this is the grouping in need of audio description the most. we cannot read the subtitles. Even a dub track, which I would not prefer to audio description, would at least give us more of a story, but the audio description would translate not just the subtitles, but also give us visual cues. It is a far more immersive experience. I’ve seen some other films this year, not all of which have I gotten around to reviewing, which have varying levels of English spoken. Features like Sentimental Value and Palestine 36 have quite a bit of English in them, with actors who don’t even speak another language in starring roles. Elle Fanning in Sentimental Value and Jeremy Irons in Palestine 36 don’t appear to ever speak anything but English. That isn’t the case here. it wasn’t the case last year either for seed Of the Sacred Fig.

As a nation, we are growing increasingly isolationist, and xenophobic. we cannot seem to help but toy with the idea of attacking or invading somewhere, and we must expel anyone who doesn’t resemble what we think is the American look. there’s a disturbing rise in white nationalism, and despite the success of shows like Squid Game, and anime like Demon Slayer, we continue to widen a chasm. In one of the richest years ever for International features, this is the year to lean in on it, and offer up as many as we can. Let’s normalize world cinema, and especially when a title is being so widely celebrated, step up and make sure everyone is talking about it, not just the sighted ones.

I’m the only blind film critic on rotten tomatoes, and I represent possibly the most underrepresented demographic, largely because when you read blind film critic, your brain hurt a little. it is confusing to you as to how blind and low vision people could consume material like this at all. not just International, but anything. Not only do we watch films, but we make them. We also play video games. the increase in accessibility has drawn people who otherwise would have looked at a ceiling and never seen the stars to dream of the possibilities generations before had no intentions of participating in. Perhaps centuries ago, a blind person just sat on a rocking chair, knitting, and offering sage advice. or perhaps they were institutionalized, a far more likely outcome. Then there’s always eugenics, which led to some devastating historical impacts.

considering the past, it does feel odd that we still somehow feel like we hve to ask for permission, but it isn’t really permission, it is just a reasonable accommodation. Due to the laws in the Americans With Disabilities act being written before the proliferation of audio description, there’s no legal recourse here for blind people to guarantee any title they see in theaters has audio description, or any title they rent or buy on digital, physical, or streaming will have it. the accessibility is sporadic, driven by a few loose laws applying to network television, and a few top cable channels. A lot of this is really just a good faith effort, and with most major studios choosing to provide audio description, the question now is at what point does a title trigger or warrant audio description?

that takes me back to my initial statement that blind people watch what sighted people watch, often because we watch it with them. So, the lack of audio description for a title shouldn’t be a reflection of funding, or a perceived idea of what a blind moviegoer wants to see, but the belief that no one wants to see your film at all. In that regard, i might respect that choice. it is incredibly contrarian to run that here, for a film racking up prizes and nominations, and tossing millions at marketing it to the most coveted race in Hollywood. Last year, neon didn’t get Seed Of The Sacred Fig beyond the International category, but they still got it to that point. that’s still an Oscar nominated feature that remains inaccessible.

it’s no accident that this film is inaccessible. it is a choice. I could steer clear and just pretend these films don’t exist, but then why? I review films both with and without audio description. I review films with varying levels of accessibility, taking them in as much as I can. Even this years the Voice Of Hind Rajab has some English in it. this gives me nothing to work with, except sounds. Sound design cannot possibly be the defining reason to label a feature fresh, if it is full of dialogue you can’t understand.

the world has accepted It Was Just An Accident as a masterpiece, and it very well might be. but this film, which I waited long enough so my review wouldn’t destroy hopes and dreams, stands to me as a sad reminder of how everything and anything is more important than accessibility. As someone who once had perfect vision, the greatest advice I can give to those who are not disabled is to build an accessible world so it is there when you need it. You do not know what lies ahead for you, or your family, spouse, kids, friends, and neighbors. Audio description is relatively inexpensive considering the track has the ability to be used not just to get a few more butts in seats theatrically, but could lead to an increased amount of rentals and purchases, and puts another audio described title on the Oscar list, as well as whatever streaming service this lands on.

I stand by the idea that accessibility is a right, because the lack of it propagates the idea of a second class, where they are only offered a fraction of, or allowed to do only certain things. that statement extends beyond just audio description, and beyond blindness. the more we can work at closing the gap, the better chance current generations have of participating in ways prior generations never have.

Prior to my loss of sight, i did get to see the lovely Iranian film A separation, which is probably still a top 10 international title. The more films we encourage people to watch from cultures they are unfamiliar with, the more understanding and empathetic we become to other viewpoints in life. Tolerance is bred through education and knowledge, as hate is spread by ignorance and the fear of the unknown. If art is transformative, it should be trying to reach everyone, not just most people.

It’s no accident that Neon did not create or provide an audio description track for It Was Just An Accident. As a byproduct, this film is beloved by everyone, unless you were deemed unnecessary and not given reasonable accessibility. A film that doesn’t want me to watch it, ends up with a grade that reflects it.

rotten: No Specific Number Given Due To Lack Of Accessibility.