Privately grappling with systemic iniquities that arise from their personal experiences linked to sexual assault is a harrowing enough experience for survivors. But journalist Shiori Ito is amplifying her courageous fight for justice for not only herself, but all victims, in the new biographical documentary, Black Box Diaries.
Ito, who made her feature film directorial debut on the project, crafted a raw first-person perspective that’s driven by the rigor of her substantial journalistic skills. As a result, Black Box Diaries is not just a incriminating analysis of patriarchal power in contemporary Japan, but also a vivid evocation of the psychological trauma that can plague a survivor.
Black Box Diaries follows Ito as she embarks on a courageous investigation into her own sexual assault in an improbable attempt to prosecute her high-profile offender. Her quest becomes a landmark case in Japan, as it exposes the country’s outdated judicial and societal systems, especially towards sexual assault.
The journalist felt the need to make the movie so that she could document her own personal investigation. Despite her fears, she had to lead her own personal inquiry into having her attacker prosecuted. As she did so, she was forced to contend with public backlash, especially when the authorities refused to pursue her case in a meaningful manner.
Ito’s legal case began in 2015, when she – then a 26-year-old intern at Thomson Reuters – went out for a drink with renowned Japanese television reporter Noriyuki Yamaguchi. The time they spent together that night took a turn for the worst, however, when Yamaguchi took Ito against her will to his hotel room.
Ito’s subsequent allegations of ensuing rape were dismissed by the police. Under a century-old Japanese law that has only recently been revised, police couldn’t prosecute sexual assault solely based on the victim’s verbal non-consent; there also had to be evidence of physical violence.
Even though there was evidence that Ito was telling the truth – she had Yamaguchi’s DNA on her underwear, and there was video footage of him dragging her from a car into his hotel, and an interview with the driver that confirms she had repeatedly asked to be taken home – the police advised her that her criminal case didn’t meet the necessary criteria to continue. They describe cases like hers as existing within a “black box,” which make them difficult to prosecutors and invisible to the world at large.
As a result, Ito methodically set out to overturn the country’s bias towards protecting men’s honor before their victim’s safety in such situations. That culture largely protected men in respected positions like Yamaguchi, whose friends include Shinzo Abe, who served as Japan’s Prime Minister at the time of the assault.
Discouraged by both the authorities and her family’s declarations that they didn’t want to pursue the case any further, Ito led the case herself, even though it meant damaging her reputation and career prospects. She went public with her accusations in 2017, in order to pursue legal action against Yamaguchi on her own.
The journalist also found a publisher for her tell-all book, Black Box, which not only relayed her experience but also prompt a reevaluation of Japan’s archaic sexual assault laws. Undeterred when the prosecution review board then ruled that she has no criminal case, she transfers it to civil court instead. By doing so, her luck gradually began to improve, even though she still faces hostility from the media and receives hate mail from the general public.
As strong-willed, determined journalist who went on to helm the documentary, Ito crafted an intimate, important portrait that champions and advances women’s rights. Through personal testimonials and archived footage, the film presents an emotional fights for justice for all victims who have suffered the same fate that she did throughout her assault case.
Some of the most vital, telling archival footage that’s featured in the movie is of parliamentary meetings in Japan, which show how Ito’s story garnered widespread attention across the country. The most profound clips show enraged young politicians who express their disdain for Japan’s archaic sexual assault laws on the filmmaker’s behalf.
Black Box Diaries builds further resonance with audiences by validating Ito’s claims through Yuta Okamura’s graceful, intimate cinematography. Okamura captures heartfelt interviews with witnesses who validate Ito’s recollections of what happened to her in one of the world’s most patriarchal of hierarchies.
Securing interviews withe journalist’s male allies, including a sympathetic police officer and a hotel doorman who witnessed her being forced up to Yamaguchi’s room, she didn’t have to to cannily play to their vanities. As a result, she was able to validate the suffering she has endured since her assault, and demonstrate how the human conscience still guides many people.
Okamura’s cinematography is highlighted by editor Ema Ryan Yamazaki’s emotional storytelling narrative. She placed equal emphasis on the formal archival investigation footage, including CCTV images from the hotel where the assault took place, and objective, candid iPhone videos and audio recordings.
Yamazaki also interwove that footage with gripping, first-hand interviews with people who were involved in Ito’s case. Those witnesses who were interviewed for the documentary offered their own emotional personal insight into her experience.
The material conveys Ito’s shifting frames of mind throughout her experience. She’s shown switching from an eminently professional journalist who’s researching her own experience to a frightened victim who’s overwhelmed by the responsibility of telling her story.
Black Box Diaries is presented as the director’s final testimonial about her case, which has been garnering significant legal progress over the past seven years. Through her urgent personal perspective and crusade to help her fellow victims of sexual assault in Japan, the film proves to be truly riveting, especially to those viewers who are unfamiliar with her journey.
With the help of Okamura’s spell-bounding cinematography and Yamazaki’s riveting editing, Black Box Diaries is an evocative documentary that tells a personally daunting story from the victim’s perspective. The feature excels in its strong sense of purpose of challenging the filmmaker’s high-profile abuser, despite knowing the risks. Her bravery in speaking out against her country’s laws that protect the criminal instead of the victim offers the strong prospect of bringing real change to a broken system.
Grade: A
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Black Box Diaries made its world premiere in the World Cinema Documentary Competition section at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.