[SXSW 2024] BLACK BOX DIARIES -- Journalist Shiori Ito Shares an Incredibly Personal Journey

Review by Sean Boelman

Credit: Tsutomu Harigaya.

Shiori Ito’s documentary Black Box Diaries debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received a great deal of buzz. With a unique and personal approach to difficult subject matter, the film and its creator should be praised for their bravery, even if the presentation occasionally underwhelms.

Black Box Diaries tells the story of journalist Shiori Ito, who set out on an investigation of her own assault in the hopes of getting her high-profile assailant prosecuted after the Japanese justice system fails her like it has so many women in her shoes. The movie serves as an expansion of her book, Black Box, by exploring the developments that have happened since publishing.

The first two-thirds — primarily focusing on the initial incident and the process of sharing her story in the book — are incredibly harrowing. It is in the final thirty or so minutes, when the film enters the courtroom, that it starts to feel overly familiar. Although the anticlimactic nature of the courtroom battle could be intentional to frustrate the audience with its inefficiency, it could also cause some to check out.

Part of the reason why the movie drags is that its presentation is somewhat dry. Much of the film is fly-on-the-wall footage of Ito in her investigation, writing her book, and participating in her court case. However, some scenes go a bit more abstract — like nature shots accompanied by narration from Ito — and the result simply isn’t cinematic enough.

Ito does an exceptional job of exploring some aspects of this issue that aren’t often discussed, such as the complicity of bystanders and people who could have stopped the events from escalating. In her investigation, Ito interrogates people like the cab driver and doorman who did not listen to her pleas for help, leaving her vulnerable in ways she should not have been.

That being said, Ito does not explore some of the political aspects of the story as well as one might hope. Some interesting questions are asked about the Japanese justice system and how it makes reporting a sexual assault and having a case prosecuted so difficult. However, when the movie starts to point its finger at those who are obstructing this justice, its condemnation feels frustratingly indecisive. While Ito’s desire to guide rather than tell the audience is noble, it prevents some of the political aspects from being as impactful.

Still, as the title implies, Black Box Diaries is a tremendously personal film for Ito, and this emotion pulsates through every moment. The vulnerability and courage Ito shows not only by standing up for herself but also by documenting her story in film is nothing short of awe-inspiring. This is what makes the movie feel truly meaningful.

Black Box Diaries is undeniably urgent, exposing legal and political injustices that plague Japanese society and the world at large. Although inconsistent pacing holds the film back from making quite as much of an impact as it should have, Shiori Ito should be applauded for telling her story in a way that pulls back the curtain on an important issue.

Black Box Diaries is screening at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival, which runs March 8-16 in Austin, TX.

​Rating: 3.5/5