Adelaide Film Festival: Black Box Diaries

Title: Black Box Diaries

Rating: ★★★★★

Directed by: Shiori Ito

Country: Japan, United States, United Kingdom

Classification: Unclassified 15+

Link: https://www.adelaidefilmfestival.org/program/2024/black-box-diaries

Content warning: mentions sexual assault and abuse

In this powerful documentary, Black Box Diaries (2024), Shiori Ito investigates her own sexual assault case, involving her offender, Noriyuki Yamaguchi, a political journalist with government connections. Black Box Diaries is a personal account of Ito’s own story and looks into the issues which lie within the Japanese legal system surrounding sexual assault. This documentary is an innately impactful film which explores a worldwide issue and has the capacity to speak to a wide audience.

In a Q and A session at the Hong Kong International Film Festival earlier this year, Ito reflected on the stance she took when creating this film. Ito chose to take on the role of an investigative journalist, removing herself from the direct impacts the offence had on her. Some may be critical of this perspective as it does create a biased film, however it is through this first-hand account that the audience is able to understand the gravity of the story and gain insider information that would otherwise not be included. With a story so personal and paramount as Ito’s, there is no other perspective that is as important as hers. Shiori Ito's treatment of her story, through a removed journalistic perspective, also provides an edge, where facts and accounts are backed with evidential archival material. The use of B-Roll, or overlaid footage, throughout the film is a strong stylistic decision that is imperative to the storytelling as the footage depicts what Ito remembers and saw the night of the offence. Previously to the documentary, Shiori Ito released a book exploring the same story, however the film allows for a more visual and impactful way to tell her story. 

Although this documentary is 1 hour and 22 minutes, it was engaging the whole way through and left the audience speechless at the end. It is the story, the perspective it takes, and the power this film holds that makes it so remarkable. Shiori Ito really brought to light the impact film, as a mode of storytelling, can have on an audience. This documentary is great for anyone above the age of 15 who is passionate about social justice issues surrounding women’s rights or anyone looking for an inspirational and moving story.