By Matthew Moorcroft

Highest Recommendation

• Directed by Shiori Ito
• Not Rated

CW: Contains frank discussions about sexual assault

A documentary 6 years in the making, Black Box Diaries initially functions as a day by day account of Shiori Ito’s fight and case in her own sexual assault, which on it’s own is an impressive feat. Ito’s fight for recognition and some kind of validation for what she went through was on the heels of the #MeToo movement and was one of the biggest, highest profile ones in Eastern world, and even if you know that story it’s clearly one that still needs to be shown and shared.

It’s another thing entirely though to see it in action, see the security footage of Ito being almost dragged into the hotel. Seeing the toll it’s had on her life both personally and professionally. Seeing the names, the callouts, the anger. The denials. It’s presented without much flair for the dramatic, as most of the film is mostly in boardrooms and through phone calls in hushed voices, but it’s clear what’s happening. There are wires everywhere. People are listening. They want her shut up, and she won’t, nor she can’t.

Black Box Diaries, as such, goes beyond simply a diary and becomes essential, almost archivist level in it’s necessity; it’s presented so frankly and without so much as judgment that you would think it would be impartial to a fault. But it really isn’t, cause the facts are pretty clear cut in this case, something Ito and the audience realizes relatively early on. This is not a story about “did he do it”, this is a story about “letting the world know he did it” and the refusal of some to let that happen.

As such, I’m mostly running around in circles trying to find a way to properly discuss and review this. I don’t think you really can, frankly; the subject matter aside, it’s almost like you are watching the released tapes of an actual video diary… because you are. That’s exactly what this is, and that means this would be like reviewing somebody’s therapy notes off the bat. There is some really personal, ballsy stuff shown here – particularly in the last third – that it mostly becomes impossible to properly talk about it’s content critically.

Instead, we can mostly just talk about form and it’s in damn good form. Ito immediately showcases that she’s an investigative journalist for a reason, knowing that a good hook and story is part of the procedure. Honestly it’s kind of a miracle that she’s able to compose some kind of proper, even Hollywood esqe three act structure out what is ostensibly just somebody’s video recordings made during a crime investigation. But even beyond that, there is some strong journalistic work here, from the hidden cameras to the lav mics that can be hidden under clothing; Ito is not anything but one of the most ballsy women I’ve ever seen and that’s something.

The one thing you should absolutely take away from this write up though is that Black Box Diaries really is worth checking out and a triumph of investigative journalism in film. Shiori Ito defies most standard conventions of cinema and moviemaking here in favour of telling the story exactly how it is, and it needs to commended on that alone. It’s also, thankfully, riveting and impeccably directed, and worthy of the many accolades that will likely be flown it’s way come awards season.