Dec 30, 2025 12:48am PT ‘Cause of Death: Unknown’ Review: Iran’s Surprisingly Daring Official Oscar Entry Sees an Ensemble Cast Conflicted by a Moral Conundrum The tense drama from writer-director Ali Zarnegar bears striking similarities to Jafar Panahi’s 'It Was Just an Accident,' but offers its own collection of excellent performances and thorny questions. By Carlos Aguilar Plus Icon Carlos Aguilar Latest ‘Cause of Death: Unknown’ Review: Iran’s Surprisingly Daring Official Oscar Entry Sees an Ensemble Cast Conflicted by a Moral Conundrum 6 minutes ago ‘Dust Bunny’ Review: Mads Mikkelsen Is a Reluctant Hero in Morbidly Fantastical Shoot-’em-Up 3 weeks ago ‘The Stories’ Review: An Improbable Connection Between Two People From Different Worlds Reveals Egypt’s Recent History 4 weeks ago See All This year, there are two films vying for the best international feature film Oscar which are set in Iran, following a group of people, mostly strangers to each other, traveling in a van with a person that they may have to bury in the desert. One is Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or-winning “It Was Just an Accident,” which the Iranian regime would never consider submitting for the Academy’s consideration.
